The Best Medicine
by labellebeaucoup
Summary: Olivia, a single mother and successful surgeon, thought she had everything she wanted until she met Fitz, a divorced father who brings his son to her to save.
1. Code White

_**A/N -**_ _ **The original idea for this story belongs to CharlitFlair who began this story under the name,**_ _ **The Dream She Never Dreamt**_ _ **. That story has not been updated in nearly five years and all attempts at contacting the author have been unsuccessful. If she does have an issue with this take of her very intriguing storyline, I will remove this story upon being contacted by her.**_

 _ **I'm not a doctor and my degree isn't in medicine. I've done some research, but I'm sure that I will still get some things wrong. Please bear with me.**_

 _ **This story is dedicated to Jan, who first brought it to my attention. - Gabi xx**_

 _ **The Best Medicine**_

 _ **Chapter One: Code White**_

"You look like shit." Olivia turned toward the door, stopping mid-swirl of her spoon, and glared at the tall man. Blowing a strand of hair from her eyes, she turned back toward her mug and continued swirling the concoction of sugar, milk, and a dash of coffee.

"Okay, okay. I get it. Don't talk to you before you have your coffee." She shook her head, adding a tablespoon of sugar to the already sugary mixture.

"Would you like some coffee with that sugar?" The short blonde grinned as she came bouncing into the faculty break room.

"I wouldn't bother yet, Maiya. She's grouchy." Maiya giggled at that statement, turning sparkling green eyes toward Olivia.

"Long night?"

"Not _that_ kind of night," Olivia was quick to state at Harvey's bemused grin. The man couldn't seem to understand that not everyone was the player that he was. "Rebekah had nightmares. Neither one of us slept well."

"I hate when that happens. Kids are the lucky ones, though. They get to sleep it off at the sitter's while we have to work through it." Olivia nodded in agreement with Maiya's statement, laughing at Harvey's sudden lapse into silence. He didn't have kids - swearing that the married with children life wasn't for him.

"Don't give me that look. This is exactly why I don't have kids. I value me time." Harvey shrugged, sipping his coffee as the sound of a loud beep filled the small room. All three doctors glanced at the pagers that hung on the pockets of their lap coats.

"Not me," Harvey announced.

"Me neither."

"It's me. I'll talk to you guys later," Olivia sighed, taking a large gulp out of her mug before setting it back on the counter and scurrying from the room. She stifled a yawn as she exited the elevator on the first floor and headed toward the ER. She didn't feel at the top of her game this morning and she felt awful about that.

Stepping into the large, crowded, bustling atmosphere of the ER, she scanned the room for Doctor Weber. She was a bit apprehensive about working in close quarters with the grouchy, older doctor. He never had a nice word to say and thought he was a god-given gift to the hospital. His arrogance always managed to put her in a bad mood and she had no doubt that if he were calling for her aid, he was already in a bad mood.

"He's behind the second curtain," a young nurse offered as she rushed past Olivia. Olivia smiled kindly at the girl and took a deep breath, steeling herself before inching toward the curtain. She could hear the deep, annoyed tone of Doctor Weber's voice and shook her head. _She_ had been paged which meant a child was involved. He could soften his damn tone.

Shoving the curtain to the side, she entered the small, enclosed area. She took a tiny, defensive step backwards as the older doctor shoved a grey binder into her chest. Composing herself, she grasped the wooden board and shook her head as the white-headed man threw his arms in the air and stomped to the other side of the curtain. Taking a moment to glance at the chart, she moved toward the cot. Placing the binder on a chair by the bed, she took her stethoscope from her pocket.

"Hi, Teddy. I'm Doctor Pope." The little boy grimaced through his smile, a tear sliding down his flushed cheeks. Olivia tried to give a reassuring smile as she reached for the thermometer and placed the covered tip under his tongue.

"I need you to keep this under your tongue for me until you hear a beep. Okay, Teddy?" He nodded his head slowly. She waited a moment for the tell-tale beep and pulled the thermometer from his mouth. Disposing of the cover, she placed the device back in its holder and frowned at the number flashing across the screen.

"You said he's having abdominal pain, Mr. Grant?" Olivia addressed the older man sitting by the bedside, the little boy's hand in between his. He lifted his brilliant blue eyes to Olivia and nodded, clearing his throat before speaking.

"He's been complaining that his stomach hurts. His mom gave him cold medicine." Olivia nodded, frowning slightly at those words.

"Does this hurt, Teddy?" Olivia asked, moving her fingers to his noticeably swollen abdomen and pressing gently. Teddy's mouth twisted in pain and a cry left his lips. Olivia removed her finger and apologized to the child. Reaching for the phone she carried in her pocket, she dialed a number and lifted it to her ear:

"There's a code white in the ER. I need an OR prepped immediately."

"Code white?" The older man looked at Olivia, a nervous, fearful expression crossing his face.

"Your son's appendix has burst, Mr. Grant. He needs to have surgery immediately to remove the appendix and clean his stomach lining to minimize the risk of a bacterial infection."

"Okay." She felt bad for the guy. He had the scared, resigned tone all parents had when she gave them relatively bad news. Patting Teddy's arm, she moved toward the curtain.

"My team will be here in a moment to take him to the operating room. While they do that, I need you to fill out the paperwork giving us permission to perform the surgery, Mr. Grant."

"Fitz," he offered, standing from his chair, kissing Teddy's forehead and following Olivia to the front desk.

"Fitz, it is then," she stated, stopping in front of the large, square desk and talking to the receptionist, "I need a surgical consent form."

Taking the paper from the receptionist, she placed it on the desk before Fitz and grabbed a pen. Uncapping the blue ink-pen, she placed it on top of the paper and watched as Fitz unsteadily gripped it in his hand, signing where she pointed. Placing the pen back on the desk, he slid the paper toward Olivia.

"The surgery can take up to two hours. It will depend on the severity of Teddy's condition. Does he have any allergies I need to be aware of?" Fitz shook his head vigorously, following Olivia down the hall and toward the elevator. Inside the elevator, Olivia punched the button for the sixth floor.

"I'll walk you to the waiting room. You'll be given a pager and a patient number that will be assigned to your son. You'll get a notification when he goes into surgery and when he is in recovery. If we have any complications, I will page you."

"Complications?" He turned a fearful gaze to her as the elevator doors dinged open.

"It is unlikely, but it's possible," Olivia said, turning right out of the elevator and leading Fitz to a large waiting area, "I've done hundreds of surgeries. Teddy should do fine."

She took a deep breath, feeling the strain of monitoring her words. There were a few times she had come close to promising that the little boy _would_ be okay. Making an absolute promise was something that she had learned early in her resident years not to do. Promises were easily broken. Even the most routine surgery could go wrong.

Parting ways with Fitz at the waiting room, she stepped through the double doors that led to the operating rooms. She was happy to see that her team were already scrubbing in as she walked into the large, sterile room. Quickly scrubbing in herself, she nodded her head to an unheard tune as she watched Teddy with the anaesthesiologist through the two-way glass. By the time she stepped into the cool room, goosebumps rising on her flesh, the small boy was already out.

"Let's get to work," she announced, walking to the metal table.

* * *

"Mr. Grant," Olivia called gently, entering the waiting area and immediately heading for the seats in the back. Fitz's head shot up at the sound of her voice and he quickly stood, the pager in his lap crashing to the floor.

"I'm sorry," he stumbled over his words, bending to retrieve the small, plastic equipment and noticing the beeping light.

"You fell asleep," she allowed a bemused grin to cover her face. He rubbed the nape of his neck, sheepishly.

"I haven't slept since I picked him up Sunday night," he cleared his throat, "How is he?"

"He did great. He's in recovery at the moment. We'll move him to his own room once he wakes up and I want to keep him overnight, just as a precaution. You should be going home in the morning."

A relieved smile crossed his face and he wrapped his arms around the petite woman, hugging her tightly. Olivia hesitated for a moment, berating her body for the tingles coursing through her, causing every nerve to stand at attention. She had noticed earlier that he was good looking, but she had attempted to quell that thought. Finally, she wrapped her arms around him, patting his back.

"Thank you," he said into her hair before releasing her, placing his hands in his back pockets.

"As soon as we move him, I'll have a nurse show you to his room," she offered, placing her own hands in the pockets of her lab coat, "It could take another hour. Why don't you grab something to eat while you're waiting? The cafeteria doesn't have the best food in the world, but at least it's food."

Turning on her heel, Olivia tried to stifle a yawn as she headed toward the nurse's station. She grabbed Teddy's file and added her signature to his paperwork before returning the binder to its place on the shelf and heading in direction of the break room. After two hours of surgery, she _needed_ her coffee.

She found Harvey reclining in a chair, a magazine spread out before him. She shook her head and made a beeline for the coffee pot, pouring the steaming, dark liquid into the nearest clean mug and adding a hint of creamer. She was confident she could do without the sugar this time. Sipping the liquid, she took a seat at the table and turned a questioning glance to Harvey.

"Do you ever work?" She wondered aloud.

"Don't be hating just because I'm better than you," he smirked, nonchalantly flipping a page.

"Faster doesn't mean better."

"I performed a biopsy this morning. That's all I had scheduled."

"I performed an emergency appendectomy on a three year old this morning." Harvey's gaze snapped to Olivia and his eyes twinkled with amusement.

"You clearly win this round, doctor." Olivia yawned, rubbing furiously at her eyes.

"You have anything else scheduled for today?"

"No."

"Already done your rounds?"

"Yes."

"Liv, go home."

"I can't. I still -"

"You're exhausted, Liv. Go. Home." Harvey tilted his head, giving her a look that left little room to argue.

"I'll have to clear this with Doctor Howard -"

"I'll cover for you. Go. Home. Spend some time with Bekah." Olivia nodded, another yawn escaping her mouth as she stood from the chair.

"Fine. I'll go home."

* * *

"Mommy?" Olivia smiled to herself as she finished closing the door. She tossed her leather briefcase on the floor, her coat following after. She didn't care about the mess - she could pick it up later. She barely made it into the family room before she was tackled by a mass of dark curls and tiny hands.

"How is my princess?" She asked, scooping the little girl into her arms and giving her sticky cheeks a kiss.

"Home early," Rebekah titled her head to the side, her brown eyes studying her mother, "Not dark."

"I came home early. Just to be with you." Olivia tapped Rebekah's nose, grinning as the little girl burst into a fit of giggles and struggled to be set free. Placing her back on the soft, grey carpet, Olivia watched as the child ran toward a heap of Barbies. Shaking her head, she turned left and entered the kitchen.

"You're home early," Laci commented as Olivia headed toward her Keurig, hitting a few buttons and waiting impatiently for the steady drip of coffee to end.

"I didn't have any more patients and everyone agreed that I need sleep."

"Bekah's had a rough morning." Laci glanced toward the family room as she made that statement, listening to the sound of the little girl playing with her dolls.

"She had a rough night, too," Olivia sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"I made her take a nap, but she woke up screaming. She keeps pointing to his picture and asking for him."

"She misses him," Olivia's voice cracked and she tried to cover by clearing her throat. Pulling her mug from under the Keurig, she sat it on the island behind her and moved toward the refrigerator, pulling a carton of almond milk out of the door.

"I do, too. I keep expecting him to come through that door and give me hell for something," Laci chuckled, a tear sliding down her cheek.

"You were his baby sister. He lived to give you hell," Olivia giggled, pouring a generous amount of milk into her mug before replacing the carton in the refrigerator.

"It wasn't enough, though."

"Laci, don't," Olivia abandoned her coffee, rounding the island and wrapping an arm around the younger girl, "He died so someone else could live. You know how Jake was. He wouldn't have wanted to go any other way."

"I know," she whispered against Olivia's shoulder, pulling away and wiping her tears from her eyes, "Sometimes, it's kind of nice to feel a little selfish, though."

"I know," Olivia nodded, turning around to grab her coffee and take a quick sip, "I need to talk to Bekah."

"Okay," Laci nodded, her voice cracking, "I'll be in my room. I'm working on a new painting."

Olivia watched as the brunette left the room, heading toward the staircase. Sometimes, Laci reminded her so much of Jake that it hurt. After he had passed, though, she hadn't been able to stand the emptiness of the large home and had needed help with Bekah. It wasn't easy being a surgeon and juggling a child. Laci had needed somewhere to stay - aspiring artists didn't make much. They had worked out an arrangement that kept them both happy - Laci had a place to live and work on her artwork and Olivia had a free, live-in babysitter. It didn't hurt that Bekah seemed to adore her aunt Laci.

Entering the family room, Olivia perched herself on off-white sectional. A smile graced Olivia's lips as she watched Bekah play with her dolls - Barbie was currently racing a horse around an invisible track. Bekah's attention remained on her dolls for a few more moments before she seemed to sense her mother watching her. Dropping the doll and its horse, a toothy grin covered her face and she rushed toward the sofa, diving onto her mother's lap.

"Can I ask you a question, sweetheart?"

"What, mommy?" Bekah turned her large, bright eyes on her mother, watching her expectantly as Olivia brushed a strand of hair from her forehead.

"Do you remember your daddy?"

Scrunching her face, Bekah shook her head. "Don't 'member."

"You don't remember anything?" Olivia gently probed. Bekah thought for a moment before a wide grin covered her face and she clapped her hands:

"Pancakes!"

/

" _Good morning, sleepy-head." Olivia giggled as she entered the kitchen and headed straight for the coffee pot. Pouring a cup, she didn't bother adding milk or sugar before taking a sip and grimacing at the bitter taste._

" _You're up early," she accused, wrapping her hand around the mug's handle and moving toward the stove. She placed a chaste kiss on her husband's cheek, peeking at the skillet in front of him._

" _It's nine. You slept in." She smiled at his words - he was an early riser and she was a far cry from a morning person. He had known that when they had started dating and it was an endless cause for banter between the two._

" _Is Bekah up?" She rounded the island, sitting in one of the wooden barstools._

" _She's been up since seven," he cocked his head toward the side, drawing her attention to the family room where the two-year-old tot was coloring furiously in one of her books. Her eyes lit up at the sight of her daughter._

" _Breakfast is almost done, Bex," Jake called, the only one who had ever called their daughter that. Everyone else stuck with her full name or Bekah, but her daddy. It was their own special thing. The little girl tossed her crayon on the open book and pushed herself off the ground, rushing into the kitchen and climbing into a chair at the table._

" _Stawbewies?" Bekah asked, eyeing the Mickey Mouse shaped plate as her dad put it on the table before her. Her smile was infectious when she noticed the large, fat strawberries topping her pancakes and reached for one, eagerly biting into the sweet fruit._

" _She looks so much like you." Jake handed Olivia her plate._

" _She has some of you, too," Olivia winked, cutting a piece off her pancakes and taking a small bite._

" _They can question if I'm her dad, but there's no denying you're her mom." He carried his own plate to the table and took a seat across from Bekah._

" _She has your personality," Olivia pointed out, twisting on the bar stool to look at her husband. Jake laughed at that, reaching across the table to muse Bekah's hair. Olivia raised another forkful of her food to her mouth, grateful for how perfect her little family was, but completely unaware that she was enjoying her last breakfast as a family._

 _/_

Later that evening, Olivia found herself in the local bar across from the hospital, The Curious Orange. No one knew how it got its name and the owner, Mark, wasn't very forthcoming. He liked to say that the appeal was in the mystery. Nursing a beer, Olivia looked around the bar, crowded with doctors and interns alike - this was everyone's favorite hangout, and spotted Harvey sitting in a corner.

"I didn't think I'd see you here!" Harvey scooted around the small table, giving Olivia space to slide into a chair.

"I'm glad you made it," Addison, the resident OB-GYN, grinned, "Mark! Another round of tequila!"

"Make mine vodka," Olivia called over her shoulder, raising a brow at Addison's surprised face. "What?"

"You're drinking beer, not wine, and you just asked for a shot of vodka. What happened?"

"Just getting a little adventurous," Olivia shrugged, taking her shot off Mark's tray as he neared the table and quickly downing it, scrunching her face at the warm burn. "Another."

Mark nodded, heading back toward the counter as Addison questioned, "What happened?"

"The only thing Bekah remembers about her dad is that he used to make pancakes." Olivia furiously wiped at a tear as it slid down her cheek.

"Oh, Liv." Addison scooted closer to her friend, wrapping her arms around the other woman's shoulders.

"I'm fine." She shrugged out of Addison's embrace, wiping both eyes as Mark sat her shot in front of her and Addison's pager began beeping. She watched as the redhead pulled the rectangular device from her purse and read the tiny screen.

"I'm sorry, Liv," she began making her apologies, but Olivia shook her head, brushing her off.

"Go. Save lives. That's what we do best." Addison nodded, shrugging into her coat and reaching across to hug Olivia once more.

"We'll talk later." Olivia watched her friend sling her purse over her shoulder and sashay out of the bar. Part of her wished that she had been on call and it had been her pager to go off. There was nothing better than surgery to take her mind off whatever was troubling her. Reaching for her beer, she paused mid-sip when she heard the deep, familiar voice of a certain patient's father:

"Hey."


	2. The Hardest Thing

_**A/N -**_ _ **No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. There are Grey's characters in this chapter. I wasn't going to use any Grey's characters because I hadn't watched the show, but after binge watching six seasons in a week, you could say I'm hooked.**_

 _ **The Best Medicine**_

 _ **Chapter Two:**_

 _ **The Hardest Thing**_

"Hey," Olivia managed to stutter, taking a deep breath and trying to muster a smile as she looked over her shoulder. The man was a walking sex symbol. She had spent all day trying to ignore his good looks, but now … Now that they were in a bar and his son's life didn't depend on her, she had nothing to distract herself from _him._ She tried shaking her head - _she_ wasn't ready to look at a guy that way and he was her patient's father.

"Mind if I buy you a drink?" His blue eyes sparkled and she bit her lip, nodding her head at his suggestion. It was an awful decision, but her mind was too fuzzy to make good decisions. She twisted in her seat, watching as he sauntered to the bar, talking to Mark and returning with a martini and glass of beer. He set her drink before her and took the empty seat beside her.

"Well this is awkward," Harvey announced after several long, quiet minutes of the two he shared the table with casting awkward glances at one another.

"Fitz, this is Dr. Adams. He's our attending oncologist."

"Don't put this on me, Pope. You two can be awkward without me," Harvey shrugged, standing from the table, "Nice to meet you, Fitz."

"He seems like a…"

"Jerk. He's a jerk sometimes. But we were interns together and we became family." Fitz laughed, sipping his beer.

"I tried finding you after Teddy's surgery."

"I had a family issue arise and had to leave."

"You're married?"

"No," Olivia shook her head, gulping her own drink.

"Good," Fitz smiled into his mug, "Then what I'm about to ask you won't be uncomfortable."

"Oh?" She winked, removing the cocktail stick and nibbling on the olives stuck on it.

"Would you like to get coffee with me some time?"

"Why?" She tilted her head to the side, scrunching her face at the burning taste of alcohol that had seeped into her olive.

"Because you saved my son's life," he gave her a cheeky grin, "And you're beautiful. Obviously intelligent."

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

"Damn it," Olivia muttered, reaching for her purse and pulling her pager from it.

"You need to go save lives."

"Sorry." Olivia stood from her chair, swinging her purse over her shoulder. She grabbed for the back of her chair as she stumbled standing.

"You aren't planning on operating, are you?" Fitz reached a hand toward her, grabbing her wrist and trying to help steady her.

"No," she giggled, pulling her arm away from him and turning toward the exit. Slowly, she made her way to the bar's entrance, stumbling along the way.

 _/_

"Where have you been?" Maiya rushed to Olivia, grabbing her arm and yanking the other woman toward the doors to the ER.

"At the bar," Olivia hiccoughed, watching as Maiya snapped a pair of gloves onto her hands, "What happened?"

"Multi-car pile up. Multiple fatalities and many traumas. Are you sober?"

"Not even close," Olivia covered her mouth with her hand, a small burp escaping her lips. Maiya sighed, scratching her head.

"Go find a banana bag. Maybe that will sober you up - and don't touch a patient until you've been cleared by me or Bailey," she added almost as an afterthought. Shaking her head, she really was going to have to have an intervention because Olivia was supposed to be the levelheaded one, she headed toward the bay to await the first of many ambulances.

Olivia sulked off in the direction of the storage room to retrieve a banana bag. Kicking off her heels after stumbling for the umpteenth time, she made a grab for the shorter, stout woman passing by. She giggled when the other woman wrapped her arms around her, preventing her from tumbling to the floor and guided her toward a gurney. Collapsing on the hard surface, she fell back, her arms outstretched and hair covering the pillow.

"Pope, what the hell is wrong with you?" Miranda Bailey demanded, narrowing her eyes at the woman.

"Want to know a secret?" Olivia whispered, pushing herself up slowly and grinning at the other woman. Bailey rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips and watching the doctor before her, "I'm a little drunk."

"I can _see_ that, Pope. Why are you here?"

"I got a page. Maiya said to find a banana bag."

"I'll find it. You stay put." Walking away, Bailey shook her head and tried to keep the amused grin from spreading across her face. She was used to the attendings doing some crazy things, but showing up drunk was a new one even for her. It wasn't something she ever expected from Olivia, either. _She_ was always the professional, coolheaded attending.

Olivia plopped down on her back again as Bailey's footsteps receded and stared up at the ceiling. She tried to block out the sounds of the buzzing ER. Groaning, she threw an arm across her face and hoped that there wouldn't be a need for the pediatric surgeon tonight. If there was, they were all screwed.

"Give me an arm, Pope." Miranda's cool voice woke her from her musings and she flung an arm to her side, groaning when she hit the metal of the gurney.

"Try not to break a hand in the process." She didn't know why, but she started giggling at that reprimand from Miranda. The no-nonsense look she received didn't help with her giggles.

"Ouch!" Miranda smirked at Olivia's cry of pain and reached for the surgical tape she had brought with herself, securing the IV in place.

"Now lay there until this is gone and you feel more like yourself." Olivia sighed, covering her eyes again and allowing them to slowly slide shut.

"Wake up, Barbie." Olivia groaned, sitting up and rapidly blinking her eyes. She narrowed her gaze in Mark's direction.

"What do you want, Sloan?"

"I heard that you're drunk." She shook her head, turning her attention to the IV bag and wondering how long she had fallen asleep - the bag was empty. Gripping the needle in her arm, she slowly pulled it out and stood from the gurney, holding her hand over the small hole to stop the bleeding.

"And now I'm going. Not so good talking to you, Mark." Olivia sauntered off, stopping at a cart for a few seconds to find some gauze and tape before asking around for Maiya. When she finally found the blonde, ordering some interns about, Olivia was quick to be cleared for work. She had wasted enough of her night laying around.

/

"You need a shower." Olivia and Addison raised their heads at Harvey's voice, their eyes red with lack of sleep, and glared in the man's direction.

"How the hell did you not get paged last night?" Addison wondered, rubbing her temples as she spoke.

"Oncologists aren't helpful in trauma situations," Olivia groaned, allowing her head to fall back to the table as Harvey began pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"And you used to pick on me for choosing oncology. At least I got to sleep in my nice, comfy bed last night." Harvey raised his coffee cup in a mock salute before carrying it out of the tiny room.

"Asshole," Addison muttered, following Olivia's lead and letting her head drop back to the table.

"I have to go discharge my patient," Olivia sighed.

"Are you going home after?"

"No. I'm going to work through it. I'll probably get some breakfast, though." Olivia stood from her seat and exited the room. She sniffed her scrub top on the way to the elevator, making a face at the sweaty smell that wafted to her nose from the dark blue material. She needed to shower and change at some point. Going in and out of surgery throughout the night had left little time for her to freshen up and once the last surgery was over, she hadn't felt like doing anything other than crashing for a couple hours in the on-call room.

Yawning, she stepped onto the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor, humming a tune to herself as the elevator slowly dropped. She rubbed at her eyes, not caring that she was probably smudging what was left of her mascara - it could be fixed after she discharged Teddy. Swiping the small granules of mascara from under her eyes, she stepped off the elevator and took a left toward the nurse's station where she quickly retrieved Teddy's paperwork. Cradling the file, she squeaked down the hall to the last room on the right.

Frowning at the sound of slightly raised voices from inside the room, Olivia quickly knocked and turned the doorknob. Entering the room, her attention was drawn to the tall brunette standing by the window, her arms crossed over her ample breasts and a frown marring her otherwise beautiful features. Olivia allowed a small smile to play across her face and tried not to snort in derision - of course he was married.

"How are you feeling today, Teddy?" Olivia asked in the most cheerful voice she could muster, edging toward the bed and placing the file on the bedside table. Pulling her stethoscope from her lab coat pocket, she placed the earpieces in her ears and the chest piece under Teddy's gown and on his chest.

"Breathe in for me," she instructed, waiting a moment and continuing, "And breathe out." Removing the stethoscope and replacing it in her pocket, she moved back to the table and made a few notes in Teddy's chart.

"Did I do good?" The little boy questioned, watching Olivia with wide eyes.

"You did great," she grinned.

"Great," The woman by the window sneered, "Can you please send a _doctor_ in here to discharge my son?"

"Mellie," Fitz sighed, throwing an apologetic look in Olivia's direction. Olivia; however, had no intention of allowing Fitz to continue his line of thought. Instead, she stepped toward Mellie, holding a hand in her direction.

"Allow me to _properly_ introduce myself, Mrs Grant," looking pointedly at her outstretched hand, she tried not to smirk as Mellie quickly grasped and released her hand, "Olivia Pope. I am the **senior** attending pediatric surgeon and the one who saved your son's life after you decided that cold medication was a viable remedy for appendicitis."

It was a cheap shot and she knew it, but everything about the woman had rubbed her the wrong way. She took small satisfaction in the fact that the only response Mellie could muster was:

"It's Ms _Roberts._ We're divorced."

Turning her attention back to the chart before her, Olivia made a few more notes before adding her signature and closing the grey binder. Turning her attention to Fitz and noticing for the first time the teenage boy and girl hovering behind him, Olivia spoke: "You're good to go. I'll need to see Teddy in a couple weeks to remove his stitches and check his incision.

I'm going to go grab a wheelchair for you, Teddy." Olivia patted his leg before leaving the room.

/

"Why didn't you tell me our son was in the hospital?" Mellie demanded, following Fitz into the hallway. Fitz sighed, his shoulders dropping. He had hoped to get a couple words with Olivia, but Mellie had thrown a wrench in the plan. Turning on his heel, he glared at the woman before him.

"I tried calling you multiple times. I even left a message with your secretary. _You_ refused to speak."

"You never told me our son was in the hospital."

"Because you wouldn't let me! You were too busy. I even told you it was urgent, but that didn't matter. You put your campaign before our children once again." Fire burned in Fitz's eyes and his fingernails dug into the palms of his hands as he clenched his fists. She had always put her career before their children.

"Don't be surprised when I ask for your visitation to be limited to once a month," he whispered before turning around and stomping back into his son's room. He waited in the room with his children, silently seething. When Olivia entered the room minutes later with a wheelchair, he was surprised that Mellie still had not returned. She wasn't used to _anyone_ standing up to her, but running was not exactly her motif.

"Ready, Teddy?" Olivia asked. Fitz turned at the sound of giggling behind him. Karen gave him an apologetic glance before stating:

"Sorry. It was just funny that it rhymed." Olivia threw an amused grin in Karen's direction as she helped Teddy from his bed and to the wheelchair. Standing behind the chair, she put her hands on the handles and began pushing the chair toward the door.

"Do you want me to do that?" Fitz asked, trailing behind her with Karen and Jerry.

"A doctor or nurse has to - hospital policy," Olivia shrugged, continuing down the hall. Her pager went off as they stepped into the elevator. Sighing, Olivia reached for the buzzing electronic and glanced at the message displayed on the screen.

"Another surgery?" Fitz questioned.

"Potentially," Olivia shrugged, pushing Teddy off the elevator as it opened its doors to the first floor. At the entrance to the hospital, Olivia handed the wheelchair off to Fitz and made to head back toward the elevator before he stopped her.

"Here's my number," he winked, slipping a small piece of paper into her hand. She allowed a small smile and nod before walking away.

/

"What do we have?" Olivia questioned, pulling gloves onto her hands as she entered the ER.

"Ten-year-old female. Head lacerations, broken arm, fractured leg, and possible internal bleeding," one of the paramedics rattled as he handed a clipboard to Olivia. Glancing at the paperwork, she barked commands at the interns standing nearby:

"Get her to an exam room, Dr. Spalding." The younger man nodded, quickly pushing the gurney down the hall.

"Lexie, please page Dr. Torres. George, where the hell is Yang?" Olivia glanced behind her to the two interns following her at a brisk pace.

"Cristina is with Hahn."

"Kiss ass," Olivia mumbled under her breath, "And she didn't think it was important to assign her interns a task? Or to, maybe, _teach_ them something?"

George opened his mouth, but quickly slammed it shut. Olivia shook her head - he wasn't going to say anything about his friend and she knew that.

"Dr. Pope, I paged Dr. Torres." The perky redhead announced, bounding to Olivia's side. Olivia tried not to grin at her enthusiasm. Meredith's younger sister had slowly warmed Olivia's heart and, at times, she had taken it upon herself to try and teach the girl. Cristina sure wasn't doing her any favors.

"George, tell Yang I'm stealing Grey for the day." Lexie couldn't hide the look of pure excitement that crossed her face. She hadn't been at the hospital long and already an attending had chosen her to assist without her resident assigning her. George sauntered down the hall, leaving Olivia to call to him one last time:

"O'Malley, book an OR while you're there!"

"What happened?" Lexie questioned as they rushed toward the exam room.

"A bus sideswiped the car she was in," Olivia read from the paperwork, shoving the door to the exam room open.

"She's going to need surgery on her leg," Callie Torres announced as Olivia and Lexie stepped into the room.

"You got x-rays already?"

"And a CT. Looks like her spleen ruptured."

"We'll be scrubbing in together, then."

/

"We did it," Callie exclaimed as she and Olivia were scrubbing out.

"And she didn't code once." Olivia roughly scrubbed the palms of her hands.

"So, did you get his number?" Callie wondered aloud.

"What?" Olivia turned a quizzical expression toward the other doctor.

"The walking sex god whose child you saved. He slipped you something when you discharged his son."

"Are you spying on me?" Olivia laughed, reaching for a paper towel and drying her hands.

"That's avoiding the question." Callie reached for a paper towel and dried her own hands, throwing the used paper into the trash bin.

"Yes, I got his number." Olivia headed toward the exit, tossing the door open and stepping out of the room with Callie hot on her heels.

"Someone is finally putting herself back out there."

"No, I'm not. It's just a number," Olivia insisted.

"Whatever you say," Callie sung as she headed in the opposite direction.

/

"I love you, princess," Olivia whispered, bending and brushing her lips gently across Bekah's forehead. Flipping the small nightlight on, she left the little girl's room and entered her kitchen. Popping a bag of popcorn, she poured herself a glass of wine and made her way to the sofa in the family room.

"For a doctor, you have some unhealthy habits," Laci observed, pressing play on the remote as Olivia plopped onto the soft material.

"Shut up." Olivia placed the bowl of freshly popped popcorn on the glass coffee table and her glass of wine beside that. She turned her attention to the horrible, cheesy horror movie Laci had picked, groaning when her phone rang.

"For the love of -" Laci exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air and pausing the movie.

"Sorry," Olivia mumbled, reaching for her cellphone and looking at the name on the screen. She frowned at the sight of her mother's name. They had had an argument years ago, before she had married Jake, and their relationship had only deteriorated once she had gotten pregnant. Shaking her head, she answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Libby." The teary voice on the other end sounded relieved.

"Maya." Olivia's voice was cold, emotionless.

"Libby, please don't be like that."

"I'm sorry? You called my marriage a mistake, suggested I abort my daughter, and barred me from my father's funeral. Am I supposed to be grateful?" Olivia questioned, tilting her head to the side as she awaited her mother's response.

"Olivia!" Her mother's tone caused Olivia to sit up straight, a worried expression crossing her face. Her mother never called her by her full name. It was always her nickname.

"What?" She allowed the cold demeanor to fade and the slightest hint of worry to creep into her voice, softening the hardness of the question.

"I need your help." Olivia frowned at that admission.

"You need my help?" She repeated, unsure of the response she would get.

"I have a brain tumor."

"You have a brain tumor?"

"Are you going to repeat everything I say? Yes, I have a brain tumor. My doctor says there's nothing he can do and radiation wasn't effective."

"And I'm supposed to help you? I'm not a neurosurgeon or an oncologist."

"I know, but you work with the best." Olivia sighed, every gut feeling telling her to hang up on her mother, but the emotional tug of a parent, even an estranged one, slipping away forced to her to remain on the phone.

"You want me to see what they can do."

"Please. That's all I ask. I can have my doctor email you my scans."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"I'll see what they can do." Maya released a shaky sigh, quickly clearing her throat.

"Thank you," Maya muttered, adding almost as an afterthought, "I love you."

Shaking her head, Olivia ended the call. She wasn't going to mutter those words to her mother. Not after the history they shared.

/

 _Olivia glanced up at the large, baby blue Victorian home. Inhaling deeply, she slowly walked toward the front door. She fidgeted with the ring on her finger, the tiny stone gleaming in the sunlight. Stepping on the small doorstep, she hid her hand in her pocket before knocking. Laura and Angela, her younger sisters, and her brother, Henry, still lived with their parents. She didn't want them to know before her mother and father. Knocking on the door, she grinned when Henry answered and threw his arms around her._

" _Libby!" Releasing his older sister, Henry stood to the side and allowed her to enter her childhood home. Henry shut the door behind her before following her down the narrow hallway and to the airy kitchen in the back of the home. She greeted Angela and Laura. The two teens nodded coolly in her direction - there had always been tension between the three sisters. Olivia knew it was because their father compared every little achievement the twins had to her own. She almost pitied them._

 _Her mother and father stood at the other end of the kitchen. Her mom hadn't changed, but Eli…he was aging, painfully so, and had more white than the last time Olivia had seen him. It made her regret the choice to move to Seattle. It was too far from Maine. Taking another deep breath, she moved forward and engulfed her father in a loving hug._

" _I'm engaged," she announced as she pulled away from her father, deciding that the best choice was to rip the band-aid away as fast as possible._

" _Congratulations!" Henry grinned at her._

" _Dad?" she asked, nervously watching her quiet father._

" _He finally did it," Eli stated._

" _What?"_

" _Jake asked for my permission, Liv. I'm happy for you. He's a good man." Olivia grinned brightly at her father's words and threw her arms around his neck in another crushing hug. The sparkle in her eyes dulled when she looked at her mother. Maya stood against the counter, a frown marring her face._

" _Does anyone want pie?" Maya quickly asked, avoiding Olivia's questioning glance. Of course, the men answered enthusiastically._

" _Why don't you guys go ahead to the dining room? I'll help mom," Olivia offered, trying to keep a smile on her face as her siblings and father left the room._

" _Mom?" Olivia inquired once the room was clear, watching her mother pull the pie from the oven and reach for a pie-cutter._

" _Libby, what's wrong?"_

" _Why didn't you say anything?"_

" _I don't know what you mean, dear." Maya grasped the pie-cutter in her hand and moved toward the pie, making a clean, precise cut._

" _You didn't comment when I said I'm engaged. What's wrong?" Olivia repeated, placing her hands on the counter and watching her mother intently._

" _Nothing," her mother replied, curtly, turning toward a cabinet and pulling plates from the shelves._

" _Something is wrong," Olivia insisted, causing Maya to sigh in anger._

" _Jake isn't right for you, Libby." Maya placed the plates beside the pie and slowly twirled around to look at her daughter._

" _What's wrong with Jake?"_

" _He isn't right for you," Maya repeated, eyeing Olivia._

" _He's perfect."_

" _No, he isn't. He's wrong for you. I won't let you marry him."_

 _Anger flashed in Olivia's eyes and her voice slowly rose with each syllable, "You refuse? Who are you to tell me who I can marry?"_

" _Your mother, young lady!" Maya's response came in the form of a shout, alerting the rest of the family to the argument in the kitchen._

" _It's because he's white, isn't it?" Olivia tilted her head, her mouth falling open slowly._

" _How dare you accuse me of being racist!"_

" _I don't believe it," Olivia muttered, fury marring her face, "You can't stomach the thought of your daughter marrying a white man."_

" _Maybe I can't." Olivia rolled her eyes at her mother's quick retort, snorting at the thought that her mother could even have those feelings._

" _Then don't bother coming to my wedding," Olivia mumbled, turning her back to her mother._

" _Fine."_

" _Fine?" Olivia questioned, bringing a hand up to rub at the tears threatening to spill from her eyes._

" _I won't come. I refuse to see you marry that man." Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Olivia bolted from the kitchen. She refused to fall apart in front of her mother - a mother that she no longer knew. She was quick to hug her brother and father, mumbling goodbyes before leaving._


	3. A Brand New Life

_**The Best Medicine**_

 _ **Chapter Three:**_

 _ **A Brand New Life**_

"Is it operable?" Olivia watched with baited breath as Derek studied the x-rays before him. He had his arms crossed and his head tilted, a thoughtful expression on his face. The longer he waited before speaking and the more 'hmms' he made, the more nervous Olivia felt. She tried to concentrate on her breathing - anything but the way Derek was looking at those x-rays. She couldn't explain why she felt that way. Oh, who was she kidding? She may not have the best relationship with her mother, but Maya was still _her mother_.

"This is a really big tumour." Olivia turned her head slightly, glaring at the doctor beside her. Leave it to Derek to sound almost impressed by the size of a tumour.

"I _know_ that." She crossed her arms, tapping her foot. From where she was standing, the tumour looked impossible - in a difficult position and extraordinarily large. She wasn't Derek though, and she sure as hell wasn't a neurosurgeon.

"It'll take a couple surgeries, but I think I can get it." She breathed a sigh of relief. Some people would have been put off by the way he had made that statement, but she was a doctor. You don't give false hope. She understood that. She had also been working with Derek long enough to know that if he _thought_ he could do something, more than likely he could.

"But you can remove it?" She wanted to be sure she had heard him correctly.

"I want some scans of my own before I decide exactly what to do, but yeah. I think I can. Who's the patient?"

Taking a deep breath, Olivia answered: "My mother."

"Get her in to see me as soon as you can. She's my top priority until this tumour is gone."

"I'll let her know what you said so she can book a flight. Thank you for this, Derek." He nodded. She knew he wasn't going to say much more. He never was the best in awkward situations like this. He could comfort a patient better than most of them, but he wasn't comfortable when his friends were in pain. Not that she was in that much pain. For now, her mother was just another patient with a life-threatening problem that needed to be solved. For her sanity, that was the _only_ way she could look at the situation.

Bracing her shoulders, Olivia walked away from the nurses station, intent on finishing her morning rounds. She wasn't going to let this situation with her mother prevent her from being on top of her game. She sighed loudly when she reached the first patient's room - no resident or intern in sight. Glancing down the hall, she yelled at the two interns loitering around:

"You two, get down here." She sighed when the two inched closer, recognising them as Lexie Grey and the intern that Cristina had named 'two'. Rolling her eyes, she began speaking, "Grey, where is Yang?"

"She's with Dr. Hahn."

"And did she give you two any assignments?"

"She told us to get her coffee," the tall, lanky boy responded. Olivia nodded, handing the chart she was holding to Lexie and giving the boy her attention.

"What's your name?" He looked taken aback at first, glancing from Olivia to Lexie and jumping slightly when Olivia demanded, "Your name?"

"Steve Mostow."

"Well, doctors Grey and Mostow, you are on my service today. We're starting rounds now."

"Alright." She tried not to smirk at the excited mumble from the two interns as she turned her back. She remembered what it had been like working as an intern. Fighting and clawing your way into the attention of your attendings and into the OR. She imagined it was more difficult for these particular interns - their resident treated them like numbers. It was impossible for them to learn if they weren't taught.

"Hi Nalah," Olivia gave the small girl a smile as she came to a stop in front of her bed, patting her foot.

"Hi Doctor Pope," the little girl grinned, laying the crayon she held in her hand on her bedside table and holding a picture up, "I'm colouring a lion for you."

"And you're doing a marvellous job!" Olivia extended her hand toward the girl's mother, firmly shaking with the woman and her husband. "Mr. and Mrs. Robinson."

"Doctor Pope, one of the nurses said you had some concern with Nalah's CT results." Mr. Robinson's brow furrowed with concern.

"Yes, I do. Doctor Grey?" Olivia glanced over her shoulder at the young redhead, watching as she flipped the chart open and began reading.

"Nalah Robinson, age 8. Presented yesterday with weakness, left abdominal pain, and increased heart rate."

"Current course of treatment?"

"She has been receiving morphine for pain management," Steve responded.

"What do her CT scans show?"

"They aren't in her file." Olivia tried not to smirk at the deer in the headlights look that Lexie gave her, frantically flipping through the chart to find the results.

"You're right - they aren't. What do her symptoms suggest, Doctor Grey?" Olivia could practically see the gears turning in Lexie's mind, trying to find the right answer.

"Splenic Sequestration."

"Spleen…What's that?" Mrs. Robinson glanced from doctor to doctor, confusion on her face.

"Doctor Mostow, would you care to explain to Mr. and Mrs. Robinson what splenic sequestration is?"

The boy nodded, pulling a small book from his pocket and flipping through the pages before he found the right one and began reading from his notes:

"Splenic sequestration is when haemoglobin builds in the spleen causing it to enlarge and potentially burst."

"This is very common in patients with sickle cell disease," Olivia provided, stuffing her hands in her pockets.

"Sickle cell disease?" Steve wondered aloud, his eyes widening as he glanced at the dark-haired little girl on the bed, her blue-green eyes still trained on her colouring page.

"Did you not read the chart?" Olivia demanded, turning her head toward Steve and glowering. Before the kid could respond, she turned to Lexie: "Course of treatment, Doctor Grey."

"Typically splenic sequestration is treated with a blood transfusion."

"Typically, yes. But that isn't the course of treatment I suggest." Lexie tilted her head in Olivia's direction before flipping to the front page of Nalah's chart, rereading the page.

"This isn't the first time she has presented with these symptoms."

"That is correct, Doctor Grey."

"Then you would suggest a splenectomy?"

"Correct! Would you care to explain what that is and why it would be a beneficial course of treatment as opposed to a blood transfusion?"

"A splenectomy means that we would remove Nalah's spleen."

"A surgery, then?" The concern in Nalah's mother's voice was clear to all in the room and Olivia took a breath, ready to ease her concerns.

"It's a fairly simple surgery that Doctor Pope has performed countless times and it would prevent Nalah from ever having to go through this again. Splenic sequestration is extremely life-threatening. Blood transfusions are like a band-aid in this situation. Eventually, band-aids fall off and need replaced. The surgery will solve this problem."

"Well said, Doctor Grey," Olivia smiled, impressed by the redhead. Her bedside manner was fantastic. How she had managed to learn that under Yang's tutelage, Olivia had no guess.

"We'll give you some time to discuss this, but we will need an answer soon."

"Do the surgery." Olivia nodded at Mr. Robinson's immediate response.

"Doctor Grey, will you prep Nalah? You're scrubbing in with me."

"Of course, Doctor Pope."

"I'll see you in surgery, Nalah." Olivia waved to the girl, walking out of the room to book the OR.

After booking the OR, Olivia made her way to her office. Settling in the large, leather chair, she pulled the small piece of paper from her pocket and began twisting it in her hand, her heart beating wildly at the thought of what she was about to do. Reaching for her phone, she placed the receiver against her ear and began dialling.

"Hello?" His voice came across the line, unsure.

"Hi." She meant to sound sexy, but even she had to admit that it came across flat. Nervous even.

"Is this who I think it is?" She knew he was teasing her. She could tell by the laughter in his voice.

"I don't know," she teased, "Who do you think it is?"

"Doctor Pope?"

"You don't know my name, do you?" she laughed out loud, leaning back in her chair and twisting the phone cord around her finger.

"No clue, _Doctor_ Pope."

"Hm. That might be a problem."

"Well? What is your name?"

"I guess you'll have to take me out for coffee to find out."

" _That_ I am more than willing to do. Tomorrow at noon okay with you?"

She glanced at her schedule quickly, making sure that she had nothing planned. "Yes."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Doctor Pope."

"Tomorrow." A smile graced her lips as they said their goodbyes and she placed the receiver back in its cradle. Standing, she couldn't stop her smile from growing as she walked toward the OR, depositing her lab coat along the way.

Scrubbing-in in record time, she entered the OR and slipped her hands into the gloves that a nurse offered. Placing her emotional shields in place at the sight of the normally olive-skinned little girl nearly matching the colour of the white gown she was wearing. Taking a deep breath, Olivia nodded toward her anaesthesiologist - signalling that she was ready to begin.

"Take a deep breath and count backwards from ten for me, Nalah," she gently probed as the male doctor placed an oxygen mask over the young girl's face and began to administer the anaesthesia. Once they had determined the little girl was unconscious, Olivia turned toward the nurse:

"Scalpel." Handing the slender tool the doctor, the nurse moved to the instrument tray, locating the tool that Olivia would need after making the initial incisions on the little girl's abdomen. Making three small cuts on Nalah's abdomen, Olivia handed the scalpel back to the nurse and took the offered laparoscope.

"Will she be okay?" Lexie wondered aloud as Olivia inserted the laparoscope through one of the cuts she had made.

"She'll make it through this surgery. She has a long, painful journey ahead, though. But she's a fighter."

"When I was prepping her, she kept speaking in another language." Olivia nodded, her attention on the monitor above Nalah's head that showed her what she was doing.

"Little Nalah here is originally from Greece. Mrs. Robinson has done a lot of missionary trips and when she was in Greece, she encountered Nalah - alone and living on the streets."

"Her name isn't -"

"No. It's Swahili. They didn't really bond until they were doing missionary work in Kenya a year after adopting Nalah. That's when she was given her name."

"Doctor Yang would never know this much about a patient."

"We have a lot of time to learn about our patients in peds and it makes the children and parents feel better about what we are doing to them. They trust us more." Olivia stuck her tongue out, her eyes still glued to the screen and making some slight adjustments with the laparoscope.

"I think I like peds," Lexie commented.

"Got it," Olivia announced, removing the laparoscope and handing it to the nurse. "You would do good in peds, Grey. You're on my service the rest of the week. I'll let Yang know."

"Thank you!"

"Can you close for me?"

"What?"

"You've been here for six months, Grey. Can you close for me?"

"Y-yes." Nodding, Olivia turned from the intern and left the OR, removing her gloves and quickly scrubbing out. On her way to the nurses' station, she grabbed Nalah's chart and made a few notes, adding her signature at the end before heading toward Nalah's room. Inside the large, private room, she found the little girl's parents, sitting in the uncomfortable chairs the hospital provided and waiting anxiously for news of their daughter.

"How is she?"

"She's fine," Olivia smiled, "There were no complications and she's being moved to recovery. They'll bring her back here the moment she wakes."

"Thank you, Doctor Pope!" Olivia hugged the taller woman back as she wrapped her arms around her.

"I'll be in to check on her later," she announced, turning and exiting the room. Pulling her cell from her pocket, she knew that she couldn't put off calling her mother any longer. Making her way to the cafe and purchasing a sandwich, she found a secluded table in a corner and dialled her mother's number.

"Hello?" Maya's voice was groggy, causing Olivia to glance at the watch on her wrist. It was a little past noon. Surely her mother wasn't still asleep.

"Maya." Olivia picked at the lettuce on her sandwich, barely nibbling the suddenly unappetising food.

"Libby." She didn't know how much more she could take of her mother sounding like she might break into tears with each phone call.

"I spoke with Doctor Shepherd. He agreed to do the surgery if you will fly out so he can conduct scans of his own."

"Thank you."

"I guess you can call me when your flight arrives. I can have someone pick you up." Olivia started to withdraw her phone from her ear, determined that their conversation was over. She couldn't possibly see what else they would have to say to one another.

"Liv?" She paused at her mother's voice.

"What?"

"I just wanted to say -"

"You don't get to apologise. Jake is dead. Whatever apology you have doesn't matter anymore." Withdrawing the phone from her ear, she pressed the red button to end the call and stood from the table. Suddenly, she wasn't so interested in eating after all.

/

"Good morning, Nalah," Olivia greeted the next morning, beaming down at the child. The little girl opened her eyes, looking up at her doctor.

"Good morning." She gave a toothy grin.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Olivia asked, pushing her gown up to reveal her abdomen and removing the gauze to get a look at the incisions.

"It hurts."

"The cuts?"

"Yes."

"That's normal. I'll get you some medicine for the pain. Doctor Grey, can you redress the incisions?" Lexie moved around Olivia, taking her place at the bed.

"Everything looks great, Mr. and Mrs Robinson," Olivia announced to the couple, "I should be able to discharge her in a couple days."

Leaving the room, Olivia headed to her office where she hung her lab coat on the back of her door and rummaged through her purse for her makeup - reapplying and fixing what she needed to. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she gave herself a once-over in the glass of her office, satisfied with the way she looked. On the way to the door, she ran into Callie.

"Where are you going in a hurry?"

"To get lunch."

"You don't leave for lunch. If I didn't know better I'd say -" Callie's mouth dropped as she realised, thanks to the blush creeping up Olivia's neck, that she what she was about to say was right. "You and the walking sex god. _Nice!_ "

"Oh move out of the way," Olivia tsked, shoving her way past Callie and practically running from the hospital. She practically had to run to the Starbucks across the street, praising Seattle's role as the birthplace of the chain which meant that there was one practically every couple hundred feet. Or at least it felt that way. Entering the building, she glanced around until she noticed Fitz sitting in a booth in the corner. Edging toward the booth, she took in the sight of him. His white button-down, navy slacks and tie practically screamed professionalism. That was when she realised that she didn't even know what he did.

"Hi," she nervously greeted, bitting her lip. He turned his startling blue eyes on her and she suddenly found it slightly more difficult to breathe.

"Hi to you, too," he grinned. God did he have a nice smile. She shook her head from the thought, sliding into the booth and taking the proffered cup of coffee he slid her way.

"I didn't add anything to it," he warned as she brought the cup to her lips, needing something to keep her preoccupied.

"Black is fine." She took a sip of the strong coffee, letting it warm her throat and stomach.

"So, _Olivia_ ," he waited for her to register that he had used her first name.

"How? Did you google me?" she giggled.

"My daughter has very good memory and she remembered you introducing yourself, by your full name, to my ex-wife."

"Impressive," Olivia smiled, taking another sip of her coffee before prodding him with questions, "Have you always lived in Seattle?"

"No. I grew up in California. I moved here when my mom offered a partnership in her law firm."

"You're an attorney?"

"Yes. I promise the sleazy stereotypes aren't true," he joked.

"That's good," she laughed, "Where did you go to school?"

"Harvard Law. You?"

"Harvard Medical."

"You're kidding," he shook his head, disbelief on his face.

"Crazy world, right? I'm originally from Maine. I was offered an attending position at Seattle Grace if I would agree to do my residency there. That's how I ended up in Seattle."

"I'm glad you did. End up here, that is." His grin was cute. She liked that about him.

"I have a daughter, Bekah. She's with her aunt right now. The two are closer than sisters." She carefully avoided mention of Jake or Laci as her sister-in-law.

"I bet she's as wonderful as you." Olivia's smile widened - it was rare to find someone who wasn't put off by the thought that she had a daughter. Refreshing even.

"Why did you become an attorney?"

"I like to argue. A lot." Her laugh drew the attention of a few nearby patrons, causing her to bring her hand to her mouth and attempt to stifle the sound. "Why did you become a surgeon?"

"You know how some people use drugs or whatever they can get their hands on to get that euphoric high?" He nodded and she could tell from the look in his eyes that he had no clue where she was going with this. At least he wasn't calling her crazy, though. "Having the power to save a life. Fixing a kid who is _broken_ and giving them a life, giving their parents a life _with_ them… _That_ is my high."

"You're amazing, you know that?" She blushed, hard, and dropped her eyes to the table. It had been a long time since she had gotten those kinds of compliments from anyone.

"Damn," Olivia muttered as her pager went off. Pulling the pager from her pocket, she glanced at the screen and silently let loose a string of curses directed at Callie Torres.

"You have to go?"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Don't ever be sorry for saving lives." She swallowed, trying to fight back the tears in her eyes at his statement. Even Jake had had trouble accepting that her job took her away from him as often as it did.

"Call me?" She suggested as she stood.

"You can count on it."


	4. Trying To Move On

_**A/N -**_ _ **As far as the Grey's characters go, as I'm sure you all have noticed, Lexie and the rest are interns and Meredith, etc. are first year residents. You could say this is slightly before the bus accident with George, but Addison and Derek never decided to give their marriage another try and Arizona joined the team a lot sooner than she did in the show.**_

 _ **The Best Medicine**_

 _ **Chapter Four:**_

 _ **Trying to Move On**_

"What are you doing?"

"Paperwork," she smiled to herself, the black receiver cradled between her ear and shoulder as she scribbled on the chart before her.

"That doesn't sound like much fun."

"Oh? What are you doing?" She glanced toward the clock. It was barely ten in the morning - her mother wouldn't arrive for another hour. Not that she was looking forward to her mother's arrival. She had even paid one of the interns to pick her mom up at the airport - anything for more time to prepare for the emotional toll that meeting her mother was likely to take.

"Paperwork." They shared a laugh at their mutual, _boring_ tasks. "Do you want to go to dinner with me tomorrow night?"

Her breath hitched in her throat at his question. She had been expecting a request for a real date after their coffee date. Her mother would be in town, but if all went as planned, she would be stuck in a hospital bed and Bekah … Laci would be more than willing to babysit. She had been pushing Olivia to move on for the better part of a year now. "I'll have to make sure I have a sitter, but yes."

"Hey, if you can't find a sitter, we can still go out. I'm sure I can find something that's kid friendly." She cleared her throat, trying to mask the tears that had suddenly appeared in her eyes and the lump in her throat. How could he get anymore perfect? Still…she wouldn't be introducing _anyone_ to Bekah unless she was sure of where their relationship was heading. She had heard too many horror stories of single mothers dragging men in and out of their daughters' lives.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm sure her aunt will babysit."

"Alright. I have a case at eleven."

"I should probably let you prepare."

"Probably."

"I'll call you tonight?"

"I'm already looking forward to it. Goodbye, Olivia." The smooth, deep drawl of his voice had her heart doing mini-backflips. How was it that his voice affected her the way it did? That hadn't happened since Jake.

"Goodbye, Fitz." A smile graced her lips as she returned the phone to its cradle. She sat with her hand on the receiver for a moment or two, wondering how she had thought she would never find anyone who made her feel _happy_ again. Sure it was new - so new that even she didn't know where it would possibly head, but it was _something_. Losing someone you love … it has a way of leaving a whole in your chest that you think will never heal, will never allow you to love again. Taking a deep breath, she glanced down at her attire and shook her head. The black dress wasn't cutting it anymore - she had been mourning for too long.

Standing from her seat, Olivia headed toward the small closet in the corner of her room and pulled the dark blue scrubs from there. They weren't exactly colourful, but at least they weren't black. Quickly changing, she stuffed her dress into the closet and reached for her lab coat. The paperwork could wait. She needed something more challenging. She needed something to keep her mind off her budding _whatever_ it was and her mother.

/

"The tiny humans are bouncing off the walls," Arizona warned as Olivia stepped onto the paediatric floor. Shaking her head and laughing, Olivia headed toward the nurse's station.

"Which tiny human needs my attention first?" she questioned, choosing to use Arizona's favourite terminology for their patients. Olivia leaned against the desk, looking at her colleague. There had been a time, when Arizona had first started at Seattle Grace, that the two hadn't gotten along. They had both been stars of the paediatric fellowship with Olivia being exactly one year ahead of Arizona. Olivia's promotion to head of Peds following Dr. Kenley's death had created even more tension in an already tense working relationship - Arizona had assumed she had the position in the bag. The tension between the two women had eased; however, earlier that year when Addison Montgomery had announced she was moving to Los Angeles and began training Arizona to take over as head of fetal surgery. It worked out for the better - both women could continue to work in their chosen field and neither could pull rank over the other.

"They're all good," Arizona replied, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "It appears to be one of those days of which we dare not speak."

Olivia chuckled at Arizona's choice of words. Everyone knew not to mention a quiet wing. That was tantamount to inviting a whole host of crazy. Flipping through the charts, she smiled when she saw a familiar name on her post-ops. Why hadn't Fitz reminded her that he was supposed to be bringing Teddy back to have his stitches removed? Checking the time, she almost swore at the late appointment that had been scheduled, but decided against it when she remembered that she had promised Fitz she would stay however late he needed her to. He had a busy, long schedule and he hadn't wanted his ex to bring their son back to the hospital. She understood.

"Have they done rounds yet?" Olivia glanced down either hall, trying to catch a glimpse of her interns.

"Lexie Grey was here two hours ago doing rounds. That is one eager girl." Arizona shrugged her shoulders, turning around and heading back down the hall. Olivia nodded her head absently, still glancing over the charts before her. She knew she had made a good decision placing her faith in Lexie. She was a great doctor.

Closing the chart before her, Olivia headed down the hall in search of her interns. Rounding a corner, she caught sight of Lexie and Steve loitering outside Nalah's room, chart in hand. As she neared closer, she realised that the two were in the middle of a heated debate. Catching a few words, Olivia frowned.

"What is the problem, doctors?" She placed her hands in her pockets, nearing the two and staring them down.

"Steve thinks Nalah was misdiagnosed."

"I've been seeing Nalah since she was a baby. Why would you think I misdiagnosed her?" Olivia turned her attention to the male doctor, tilting her head.

"I - I…"

"You what? This is a serious charge, Doctor Mostow. What made you come to this conclusion? Especially when the patient has been tested for a defective eleventh chromosome and shown nearly every symptom and complication of the disease?"

"But…"

"But what? She's not _black_?"

"Child, you better pray that was not what was about to come out of your mouth." Olivia turned her head to find Miranda Bailey standing behind her.

"Well - well…"

"Sickle cell anaemia doesn't only affect the black community. You're off my service, Mostow. Go do some research and educate yourself before you even _think_ of finding another attending and your resident will know." Olivia watched as the younger doctor sulked down the hallway, out of her sight. Sighing, she turned to face Miranda. "Doctor Bailey, what can I do for you today?"

"I need a consult." Olivia nodded.

"Can you do this post-op by yourself, Lexie?" The redhead nodded, enthusiastically.

"Yes, Doctor Pope!"

"Page me if you need me." She turned on her heel, following the shorter doctor down the hall and hoping that she wasn't misplacing her faith.

/

"Miranda?" Olivia glanced into the room, trying to mask the surprise that she knew covered her face at the sight of a young child, around ten, with a large, swollen abdomen.

"According to his parents, he's been constipated."

"For how _long_?"

"The parents say a few months."

"You called me for a consult on a bowel obstruction?"

" _Something_ has to be causing the bowel obstruction, Olivia and he hasn't ingested anything." Miranda's pleading gaze gave Olivia pause and she nodded.

"I'll take a look at his chart." She followed Miranda into the trauma room, wondering what her fellow doctor had done to convince Owen Hunt to give her a trauma room for this. Shaking her head, a small smirk on her face, she realised that she didn't need to wonder what Miranda had done - everyone in the hospital bowed to her wishes.

"Mr. and Mrs. Adamson, this is Doctor Pope. She is our head of paediatrics and she will be consulting on your son's case." The older couple glanced up from their son's bedside, their eyes red-rimmed and teary. The child had his arms wrapped around his abdomen, a painful expression on his face.

"Is this the first time that," Olivia glanced at the chart in her hands, "that Henry has had this particular issue?"

Slowly, the father shook his head, "No. But it normally goes away."

Olivia nodded, skimming over the chart once more and asking, "When this happened before, did you give him any medication?"

"Laxative or stool softener."

"Were the stool softeners effective?" She wasn't about to launch into a discussion about how laxatives are stool softeners, so she kept the question short.

"Yes."

"Has this been a recurring problem since birth?" Another nod answered her question. Olivia took a breath and tucked the chart under her arm, "Mr. and Mrs. Adamson, have you ever heard of a condition called Hirschsprung Disease?"

"Hirschsprung Disease?" The two slowly shook their heads.

"It's a congenital disease in which part of the bowel is missing the necessary nerves to allow for proper bowel movements."

"And Henry has this?"

"I will need to run some tests to determine if this is the case or not, but it's very likely. Do you know of any family history of this particular disease?"

"Your mom…she had problems like Henry." The mother tilted her head, looking at her husband.

"I will have someone retrieve Henry for some tests," Olivia stated, turning toward Miranda, "In the meantime, let's get him admitted to peds and set up in a room there."

The two doctors left the room. Olivia turned to glance behind her at the timid call of her name coming from the child's father who had followed her from the room.

"Doctor Pope, if he has this…will he be okay?"

"There are a few options to repair any missing nerves if he does have Hirschsprung Disease. He'll be okay, Mr. Adamson."

The man smiled, turning and reentering the room. Olivia turned on her heel and headed toward the nurse's station, depositing the boy's charts and her orders to have him moved to the paediatric wing.

/

"Good evening, Teddy," Olivia greeted, entering the small exam room with a large smile on her face. The little boy looked up at his doctor, a huge grin covering his face. A large sucker was clenched in his hands and she knew it must have been a bribe. She'd seen enough children to know that occasionally, their parents had to bribe them to allow a doctor to take a peek.

Setting the chart on the counter, she finally looked toward the corner where Fitz stood with his phone glued to his ear. His blue eyes sparkled and he moved his free hand animatedly. He gave her a short wave and nod to begin removing Teddy's stitches before he returned to his phone call. She tried to drown out the angry voice and words he was using, but it was next to impossible.

"No, you aren't taking them anywhere…

…I don't give a damn about your campaign, Mellie!

…You have _no_ rights. I have full custody and I don't believe I need to remind you that after what happened with Teddy the last time you were supposed to be watching him, I can easily ask for your visitation rights to be revoked…

…I'm not changing my mind, Mellie! They have school. They have a life here. You can't keep swooping in and disrupting their lives for _your_ personal gain. Besides, I already asked if they wanted to go with you and they didn't. Goodbye, Mellie."

Olivia glanced over her shoulder, her hands stilling in the process of removing the last of Teddy's stitches as Fitz hung up his phone, slipping the device into his pocket. It only took a moment for him to compose himself, twisting his face into a strong, happy expression for his son. She admired that. He cared about his children; cared how they felt over how he was feeling. With a satisfied grin on her face, she finished removing the stitches and allowed Teddy to put his shirt back on.

"All done, young man," she announced, smiling as he stuck his sucker in his mouth.

"It didn't hurt."

"Good."

"How has your day been?" Fitz asked, helping Teddy from the table and turning his gaze to Olivia. Her breath caught in her throat as he finally focused his full attention on her.

"Busy. My mom has been in my office since noon and I have been actively avoiding it because it would mean talking to _her_."

"Yikes. Trouble with the parentals?" A wry smile crossed Olivia's face at Fitz's statement.

"Parental. My dad died a few years ago. We never had problems, either."

"I'm sorry to hear that." The pity in his eyes caused her to look away - she liked him, but she didn't need anyone's pity.

"It's in the past. So," she took a deep breath, deciding to change the topic, "Where are we going to dinner tomorrow?"

"That will be a surprise," he winked, "I'll pick you up at six?"

"I'll text you my address - as long as you promise you aren't going to use it for some crazy, serial killer purposes," she winked.

"Cross my heart." She laughed as he made an 'x' over his chest.

"I'll talk to you later. Bye, Teddy."

"Bye Doctor Pope."

"Yes, _goodbye_ Doctor Pope." She took a deep breath, turning and walking out of the exam room - blue, sparkling eyes haunting her. If she wasn't careful, she could find herself getting lost in those eyes.

/

"I'm going home. Are you ready?" Olivia announced, entering her office and heading toward her desk. Maya sat up from the reclining position she had taken on the small sofa against the wall. She struggled to her feet as Olivia hung her lab coat and grabbed her purse.

"I haven't seen you all day." Olivia brushed the comment off, walking past her mother and out the door. She didn't give her a second glance. Maya's heavy footfall was the only indication that she had followed her daughter from the office. The two were silent on the way to the parking garage and in the car to Olivia's house.

In the driveway outside the large, dark blue Victorian, Maya tried speaking to her daughter once more. "You have a nice home."

"It's the same home I've lived in for years." Olivia's tart response left no room for further comments as she slid out of the vehicle, slamming the door behind her. She waited impatiently for Maya to step out of the car before she locked the doors and headed determinedly toward the home.

Entering the home, Olivia tossed her purse on the table by the door and marched in the direction of the dining room. She smiled at the sight of a cheese and pizza sauce grin that covered her daughter's face. Two plates sat beside the pan of pizza that graced the middle of the table. Laci had remembered that Maya was joining them. Olivia shook her head - sometimes it seemed like Laci was her housewife. Settling into a chair beside Bekah, Olivia reached for a plate, placing a piece of the pepperoni and cheese pizza on her plate.

"Momma! Me and Laci cooked pizza." Olivia placed a kiss to her daughter's head, biting into the pizza and watching as Maya took a seat across the table from the two, thanking Laci when she handed her a plate.

"And it's delicious, sweet pea."

"Momma, who?" Olivia slowly chewed the food in her mouth and swallowed as she contemplated her response, finally settling with:

"This is my mom, Bekah."

"Do I call you granny?" The little girl turned her inquisitive look toward the older woman across the table.

"Why would you ask that?" Olivia's warning glance was enough to silence her mother before she even opened her mouth.

"Because I already have a 'nana. I can't call her 'nana, too." Olivia blinked rapidly, trying to still her tears that threatened to spill from the innocence of the moment. Her daughter knew _nothing_ about her past with her mother. Bekah didn't know that her grandmother had never wanted her. Olivia almost snorted at that thought - Maya didn't get to call herself Bekah's grandmother.

"You can call her, Maya. Now hurry up and finish your pizza so you can get ready for bed."

/

"That _was_ a little harsh, Liv."

"Laci," Olivia warned, handing the other woman a plate.

"She is your mom, Liv."

" _Your_ mother is more a mother to me than she is. I'm done talking about it." Olivia pulled her hands from the soapy water and grabbed a dish towel, quickly trying her hands before reaching for her glass of wine on the island behind her.

"She has a life-threatening illness, Liv. Maybe she's trying to make amends." Olivia took a deep sip of her wine, gripping the island with her free hand, her knuckles turning white with her grip, her mind swirling down the endless spiral of flashbacks that she tried so hard to repress when it came to Maya.

/

" _Addison! Do you have a moment?" Olivia called, practically running down the hall, her lab coat trailing behind her and the slightly too big baby-blue scrubs threatening to fall from her hips. If her suspicions were right, though, she wouldn't have to worry about that for much longer._

 _The tall redhead swirled around, stopping in the middle of the hall to look at the young resident rushing toward her, "Sure. What's up?"_

" _I was wondering if you could…" Olivia's voice trailed, unsure of how to phrase the rest of her question, excitement bubbling inside her._

" _If I could?" Addison raised a perfectly sculpted brow, tilting her head in a subtle suggestion that Olivia finish what she intended to say and finish it quickly._

" _I think I'm pregnant."_

" _Well, let's go have a look." Addison smiled, wrapping her arm around Olivia's shoulders and guiding her toward an exam room._

 _/_

 _Taking a deep breath, Olivia stared at the phone in her hand. She had called Jake right after Addison had confirmed that she was two months along. He had been ecstatic - they had discussed having children many times and both wanted a large family, but they certainly hadn't been trying. She had called her father shortly after, relieved that he had been as excited as she was. He was the one who had suggested that she call her mother with the news._

 _Taking a deep breath, Olivia pressed the call button and tentatively held the phone to her ear. The ringing was harsh, reverberating around her skull._

" _Libby," Maya's voice came through the phone._

" _Hi mom," a nervous smile came across her face as she hurriedly concluded, "I have news."_

" _Oh?"_

" _I'm pregnant." The large grin that threatened to spill over, hurting her cheek muscles, was stopped cold in its track by her mother's all but mournful sigh. "Mom, what's wrong?"_

" _Is this bad news?"_

" _Mom?" Olivia could feel the tears starting to fall from her eyes and her throat closing as she tried to choke them back._

" _You're having a baby with Jake." Olivia wiped at her eyes, anger setting in as she understood just what it was her mother was saying. She had hoped that this phone call would be the turning point in their relationship. That they could go back to the way they had been. Back to the amazing, close mother-daughter relationship they had had before she had told Maya about Jake. How she wished that was the case._

" _He's my husband. Who else would I have a baby with?"_

" _I don't like Jake."_

" _I_ _ **know**_ _that. But this is a child - a baby."_

" _I won't like anything that comes from him." Olivia shook her head in disbelief, trying not to allow her tears to make their way into her voice:_

" _It's a baby, mom."_

" _You shouldn't have a baby with him. Have you thought about adoption? Or abortion?" Olivia nearly choked on her anger, fire burning in her eyes as she angrily retorted:_

" _How dare you suggest that I abort my child. I have_ _ **always**_ _wanted to be a mother. I would have expected a little bit of excitement at the news that you're going to be a grandmother. I guess I was wrong. Goodbye, mother." She hung up the phone, finally allowing the dam to break and tears to coat her face._

 _/_

"She told you to abort Bekah?" Laci looked into the living room where they had left Maya on the sofa, "That bitch."

"Like I said, she's not Bekah's grandmother." Olivia raised her glass to her lips, taking another long sip.

"How long is she staying?"

"Until Derek decides what he's going to do with her tumour."

"How did you get Derek to agree to the surgery? Was it -" Laci trailed, waggling her eyebrows. Olivia giggled, slapping Laci's arm.

"We do not talk about the night that shall never be named."

"You're the one who decided to -" Laci stopped mid-sentence, gulping her wine and gesturing toward the doorway where Maya stood. Turning her attention where Laci's gaze had fallen, Olivia sighed.

"What?"

"What time do I need to wake up?" Olivia almost felt bad for the timid tone her mother had taken. _Almost._

"I leave for the hospital at 7:00." Turning her back, Olivia returned to her wine.

/

After depositing her mother in her office, Olivia made the semi-short trek to the nurse's station on the paediatric wing, immediately reaching for the newest file on the desk - a seven year old with lung cancer. She had been on his case since for the last five years. He was practically family at this point. He was the one patient who made her work harder than she normally did - who pushed her to go that extra mile. As she opened the chart, she suddenly became aware of the large, rose display sitting on the counter.

"Whose are those?"

"Yours." The nurse behind the counter answered, barely glancing up from the paperwork before him. Olivia tilted her head, finally looking the floral arrangement squarely in the face and pulling a card from the top. Flipping it open, she couldn't help the smile that appeared at the large, somewhat decent handwriting -

 _Looking forward to this evening. F. G._

Shaking her head, a blush covering her cheeks, Olivia took the flowers to her office. She barely made it back out without getting bogged down by her questioning mother. She could see the almost joyful expression in Maya's eyes when she had deposited the flowers on her desk. She hated to disappoint her (not really), but her mother would hate Fitz for the exact same reasons she had hated Jake.

Marching down the hall, Olivia entered Tyler's room, ready to speak to his parents and see his smiling face. That was one thing she could count on. Through everything, that child had kept his cheery disposition. It was a welcome sight in the hospital.

"Mr. and Mrs. Garcia," Olivia paused, her heart sinking as she took in the sight of the empty hospital bed and the parents' red, puffy eyes. She knew before she even asked: "Where's Tyler?"

"Tyler… he passed this morning, Doctor Pope. The other doctor, Doctor Robbins, she said his lungs had failed and there was nothing she could do," Mr. Garcia responded, his voice broken and more tears falling from his eyes.

"I am so sorry." Olivia's voice was broken itself as she hugged the grieving parents, making a mental note to find Arizona Robbins.

/

"Doctor Robbins, can I speak with you?" Olivia demanded, gripping the blonde doctor's arm and preventing her from marching farther down the hall.

"Look," Arizona wrenched her arm from Olivia's grasp, "If this is about your patient…"

"Why wasn't I paged?"

"His heart and lungs were failing. There wasn't time."

"So you just gave up on _my_ patient? He was _my_ patient, Arizona. I worked with him from the time he was diagnosed at two. I sat with him through chemo and radiation. _I_ spoke with his parents. _I_ gave them a shoulder to cry on. Had you bothered to page me this morning, you would have known that he was supposed to receive new lungs today. You would have proceeded differently and he would still be alive. _You_ can explain that to his grieving parents and then you can explain that to Chief Webber." Shaking her head, Olivia turned sharply on her heel and marched down the hall. Glancing at her pager, she all but groaned. As if the day weren't bad enough, she had an appointment with her mother and Derek.

Entering Derek's office, Olivia snorted at the laughter that was coming from her mother and the handsome doctor. Rolling her eyes, she took a seat beside her mother in front of Derek's desk, crossing her arms and waiting to hear what he had to say.

"So, I don't really have anything new to tell you."

"I wasn't expecting anything new," Olivia sighed.

"I want to go ahead and schedule some more tests for today." Olivia nodded, glancing to her side where her mother sat, wiping at her eyes.

"Go ahead and schedule them," Olivia stood from her chair, suddenly deciding that no matter how much she hated her mother at the moment, she just couldn't see her cry. "Unless you need me, I really need to get back to my patients."

"Go ahead." Olivia nodded, leaving the room and her terrified mother behind.


	5. So We Talked About Cheese

_**A/N -**_ _ **For those of you concerned about the A/N at the beginning of the last chapter, there are quite a few readers who are familiar with Grey's and that A/N was to provide them with a bit of a timeline for this piece. If you haven't watched Grey's, it won't affect your ability to follow this story, but for those who have watched, it's nice to know when this takes place in regards to that universe.**_

 _ **The Best Medicine**_

 _ **Chapter Five:**_

 _ **So We Talked About Cheese on Our First Date**_

"How do I look?" Olivia questioned, smoothing her seafoam green dress and tilting her head at the black, leather jacket that Laci had insisted completed her look. The material fell just above her knees and, combined with the square neckline, made a modest look for a first date. She frowned at the black Louboutins that graced her feet. Was the heel too high? God, it had been a long time since she'd gone on a date. She had no clue what to wear or do.

"You look hot," Laci whistled, holding a wine-coloured lip gloss to the light and looking between it and Olivia's lips. Olivia sighed, her stomach in knots, and took the lip gloss, applying a light coat to her full lips. Twisting the top back in place, she put the gloss in her black clutch with everything else she thought she would need, shaking her head and tsking at the sight of foil package amongst her things. Retrieving the small item, she held it up in front of Laci's face.

"Really Laci?" Olivia gave her best mock angry expression, pursing her lips to avoid bursting into laughter at Laci's innocent expression.

"Hey, it's a first date. You never know what might happen."

"I can tell you what _won't_ happen and that's sex," Olivia insisted, dropping the foil package in Laci's hand and shaking her head, "I'm not spreading my legs before I even really know the guy."

"Two words," Laci stated, crossing her arms and raising her brow, a smug expression on her face, "Derek Shepherd."

"Fuck you," Olivia giggled, "That was _one_ very drunk night my first year."

"Which is apparently his M.O."

"Laci!"

"What? I mean, that's how he met Meredith."

"And Meredith is fantastic for him. That's why we don't mention the one night stand with Derek."

"I don't know why you're so insistent that she never hear about that. It was before she had even moved back to Seattle. Before you two even knew Meredith Grey existed. And it's not like everyone hasn't been in everyone else's pants at that hospital."

"Really?" Olivia rolled her eyes.

"It's like one gigantic game of 'tag - you're it' in that place."

"Tag? That's what your going with?"

"Well, yeah. You know: Tag, I'm totally screwing you in the on-call room until I tag someone else."

Olivia's retort died on her lips at the sound of the doorbell ringing and she took a deep breath, her hands beginning to shake slightly. Laci patted her on the back, giving her a warm smile.

"Relax. You look hot and he likes you. This is going to be okay." Olivia nodded, her stomach doing somersaults and the blood draining from her cheeks. Forcing her feet in front of her, she followed Laci down the wooden stairs, her heels clicking on each board. In the foyer, she kissed Bekah goodbye and garnered Laci's promises to take good care of her daughter - not that she needed to hear them, but the reassurances were nice for her nerves.

Throwing the door open once Laci had secured Bekah in front of the television in the family room, Olivia's breath caught in her throat. Fitz stood on the doorstep, adjusting his watch. He looked absolutely flawless in black slacks and a dark green button down. The coincidence caused a smile to grace her face as she stepped into the warm night air, closing the door behind her and taking his offered arm.

"Are you stalking me?" she teased, eyeing his shirt.

"Great minds think alike," he winked, guiding her to his car. She raised her brow at the car - a white Audi R8. Nice. He held the passenger door open for her, allowing her to slide into the deep bucket seat before closing the door.

"Great family car, Fitz," she winked, fastening her seatbelt as he entered the vehicle. His deep, rumbling laugh caused a smile to cross her face. She felt more at ease than she had before he had shown up on her doorstep.

"You don't bring the SUV on a first date," he answered, pushing the button and starting the engine. She watched as he shifted into gear and slowly pulled into the street, his speed almost laughable for the car. They were in a sports car after all.

"Where are we going?" she wondered, nodding her head to the music that was playing softly through the speakers. She hadn't heard the song before, but it had a nice beat.

"You'll find out when we get there. It's a surprise."

"Ugh," Olivia giggled, sticking her tongue out in his direction. She turned her head to look out the window, the city passing by in a blur. "Let's play 20 questions."

"Or 'I-spy'," he suggested, "I'm not a fan of 20 questions."

"I didn't mean the _actual_ game. I hate it," she laughed, "But we can ask each other questions. Get to know one another a little better."

"Alright." He turned his head to offer her a quick smile before returning his attention back to the road.

"You said your mom lives here, but you're originally from California…" she started, unsure of how she was going to phrase the rest of her question.

"My parents divorced when I was six. My mom never really wanted to be a mom, so my sister and I stayed with our dad who, coincidentally, didn't want to be a father."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents. They had more than enough love to go around," he chuckled, "What about your parents?"

"My mother still lives in Maine. She's here for surgery, but she'll be going back after. My dad was…amazing. He was my best friend and biggest supporter."

"When did he die?"

She blinked rapidly, trying to prevent the tears that were close to falling - that were always close to falling when she talked about her dad. The years certainly hadn't done anything to ease the pain. Swallowing, she answered: "Almost four years ago. Right before I had my daughter."

"I lost my dad two years ago. Car accident."

"I'm sorry."

"It happens." The cavalier response was all Olivia needed to know that Fitz had not been close with his dad.

"You two weren't close."

"No, we weren't. He was a cold, violent alcoholic who cared more about his company and the money he made than his own children." Olivia nodded, moving her hand to his shoulder, patting the hard muscle there in a comforting manner. She glanced back out the window, the buildings going by in a blur. Where were they going?

"What's your sister's name?"

"Ophelia. She hates it." The two shared a laugh, finally moving past the dark turn that the conversation had taken earlier. "Do you have siblings?"

"One brother and two sisters. Henry's a year younger than me. We've always been close. The twins, Angela and Laura, are ten years younger than me."

"I always wondered what it would be like to have a brother."

"It's not always fun," Olivia laughed, glancing around at her surroundings as Fitz pulled into a parking lot, placing the car in park and shutting off the engine. He was the perfect gentleman as he came to her side, opening her door and helping her from the vehicle. She placed her hand on the crook of his elbow when he offered his arm, guiding her toward the restaurant.

"I hope sushi is okay," he apologised, holding the door open for his date as they entered the city-famous sushi restaurant.

"It's perfect," she grinned, tilting her head as the manager greeted them at the door and personally showed them to their table, promising to return with their wine and send a waiter to take their orders.

"How?" Olivia asked once the Koshu had been poured and the waiter had taken their orders.

"I represented the owner's daughter in a trial that we won last year." She nodded, accepting the answer and sipping at the cool, white wine.

"This is different."

"It's Japanese. Good though."

"It is."

/

"Are you cold?" Fitz asked as Olivia inadvertently scooted closer, tucking both her hands around his arm.

"I'm fine." She tilted her head, her eyes skimming over the water. Their dinner had been amazing - the food was great and the conversation had never once dulled. His suggestion to take a walk by the Bay had been more than welcome.

"You haven't talked much about your daughter's dad," he noted. She sighed. She had known that they would eventually have this conversation, but had hoped it wouldn't make it's way into their first date.

"He died earlier last year."

"Oh."

"He was a cop," she found herself explaining, smiling a little at the memory. It had been such a long time since she had spoken about Jake with anyone other than Laci, "A guy was holding his family hostage. After, they said he had had some kind of mental break. He killed his wife and when he…when he turned the gun on his daughter, Jake…he protected her. He gave his life so a little girl barely older than our daughter, could have hers."

"He sounds like he was a good guy," Fitz patted her hand, giving her a warm smile.

"He was," she nodded, feeling the tear slip from her eye and slide down her cheek. She tilted her head back, blinking rapidly as Fitz dropped her arms, turning to face her and wiping her tears from her cheeks. He wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to place her head on his chest and sob.

It felt good. She hadn't allowed herself to grieve after Jake's death. At first, she had felt numb. She had been strong for Bekah and Laci. She had even been strong for Jake's parents. After, she had buried herself in her work, designing new test studies and taking on cases that everyone else refused - saying they were too difficult. Anything to keep her mind off her home life. Now, it felt good to finally let her tears fall.

"Are you alright?" He asked gently as she slowly pulled away a few moments later, wiping at her face.

"Yes. Thank you." He gave her a reassuring smile, taking her hand in his and coaxing her to begin walking once more.

"I hope I didn't completely ruin our date," she apologised minutes later, glancing out at the water. The burgeoning stars left a trail of twinkling lights in the darkened water.

"You couldn't possibly ruin this date."

/

"I will call you tomorrow," Fitz promised, dropping Olivia's arm as they came to a stop on the doorstep of her home. Olivia tried to hide the excitement that was threatening to spill over her face. Everything about their date had been wonderful. She couldn't have asked for a better night.

"I'll be waiting." She held her breath, waiting for him to make his move, feeling slightly disappointed when he bent, placing a quick peck on her cheek and saying goodbye. Her smile faded as she watched him get in his car and drive away. Sighing, she unlocked the door and entered her home, making sure the deadbolt was latched once she was inside. Kicking her heels off in the foyer, she headed toward the kitchen.

"How was the date?" Laci asked, making Olivia jump as she turned the lights on in the darkened room. Glaring at her sister-in-law, Olivia took the proffered glass of red and sat at the barstool across from Laci.

"I _thought_ it was perfect."

"Uh-oh. What went wrong?"

Gulping the liquid courage in her glass, Olivia responded, "He kissed my cheek when he dropped me off. My cheek, Laci."

"It was a first date, Liv."

"And normally first dates end with first kisses."

"Something tells me that he isn't like that. He's a gentleman. Did he say anything?"

"He said he'll call me tomorrow."

"Then if he calls you tomorrow, the date really was perfect and he wants to see you again. Stop stressing!" Olivia sighed, sipping from her glass and fighting the urge to close her eyes. She didn't get much sleep.

"I hope so."

"Is that optimism?" Laci grinned, "I haven't heard that from you in a long time."

"I can't believe I'm gossiping about a first date with you like I'm some teenager," Olivia groaned, downing the rest of the liquid in her glass and placing it in the sink. Stretching, a yawn escaped her and she announced, "I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Laci."

/

"Liv," Derek whispered, grabbing her arm and guiding her into an empty exam room. Crossing her arms over the file she carried, she turned toward Derek with a questioning expression as he turned the lights on in the room.

"What?" Her heart seemed to drop to her stomach when he walked over to the box on the wall and flipped a switch, hanging a couple scans and turning to face Olivia. She shook her head at the images that greeted her. She was far from being a neurosurgeon, but even she could tell that what she was looking at wasn't good.

"I've been trying to figure out a way to go about this, but I don't know."

"It's wrapped around her brain stem." Olivia stuffed her hands in the pockets of her lab coat, rocking on the heels of her feet.

"And I don't know how to get to it without either paralysing her or cutting off brain function."

"Don't worry, Derek. It was a long shot in the first place."

"Hey, I'm not giving up. I'm going to find a way. I'll be working with the simulator today if you need me." She nodded, barely turning her head when he walked out of the room. She kept her eyes glued to the scans for a few minutes longer before sighing and removing them. Depositing the scans in her office, she headed straight for the paediatric wing and a busy workload that would keep her mind off her mother's condition until well into lunch.

"Ugh. It's been ridiculously quiet," Callie complained, picking at the sandwich on her plate.

"Don't jinx us," Arizona groaned.

"Thanks, Callie," Olivia laughed, playfully tossing a fry at the brunette.

"Children," Derek chided.

"Who let the residents sit here anyway?" Mark wondered aloud, laughing as Callie playfully swatted him.

"Your opinions don't matter, Mark. We've discussed this before." The good-looking plastic surgeon started to speak when the doctors' pagers began going off.

"What the -?" Derek wondered, yanking his pager from his pocket and looking at the screen. Olivia glanced at her own pager, narrowing her eyes. There must have been a serious catastrophe for all the surgeons to be called to the pit. Rising from the table in unison, the group quickly discarded their food containers before heading toward the pit at a run.

"What's up?" Olivia asked a nurse, taking the chart from his hands.

"John Doe was hit by a bus and dragged about a mile."

"Multiple traumas then. Why was I paged?" She handed the file to Owen as he passed by.

"We were told to page all the attendings." Glancing in the trauma room, Olivia caught the sight of the badly disfigured patient and tried not to frown. From where she was standing, the outcome didn't look good.

"Why was I paged?" Mark demanded, stepping out of the trauma room, holding the door open just long enough for Owen to enter the room.

"Someone told them to page all the attendings."

"Next time, make sure we're needed," Mark frowned, tossing his gloves into the trash and walking out of the pit. Olivia sighed and followed Mark out of the ER, toward the elevator.

"They might have needed you," Olivia pointed out as the two entered the elevator.

"Any reconstructive surgery will have to wait until he's stable," Mark shrugged. "What about you?"

"He's obviously an adult."

"You were a kickass general before you switched to peds. Between the two of us, you would be the one that they could use."

"Okay, they don't need either one of us," Olivia sighed, exiting the elevator as the doors dinged open. Starting down the hall, she groaned when her pager went off again. Glancing at the device, she headed in the opposite direction. Entering a large, private room, she tried to avoid her mother's gaze as she came to a stop by Derek.

"I thought you were in the pit," she commented, eyeing the thick chart he held.

"They didn't need me. I had your mother admitted."

"I see that." She glanced at her mom, quickly turning her attention back to Derek before Maya had a chance to say anything.

"I want to operate tomorrow. If your mom agrees."

"Well, it's her choice. Is there anything you needed me for?"

"I want your input, Olivia," Maya spoke up, "And I want you to be my medical contact."

"I think you should do what you want to do," Olivia stated. She hoped that her mom would decide to have the surgery. The sooner it was done, the sooner she could go back home and get out of Olivia's hair. That's all Olivia really cared about. Not what her mother chose to do, but how long her mother was going to stay. "What about Henry or Laura or Angela?"

"Henry isn't here. Laura is a hairdresser and Angela…" Olivia narrowed her eyes. Why did her mother mention her younger sister that way? Almost as if Angela was some kind of pariah. "You're the _only_ one who understands all this medical stuff. I would rather _you_ help me make the decisions."

"I'm not a neurosurgeon. Doctor Shepherd can advise."

"Olivia," she tried to close her eyes against the pleading look her mother wore on her face, "Please."

"I can't." Olivia shook her head, exiting the room.

/

"Liv, your mom needs you." Olivia turned around, narrowing her eyes at the honey-blonde doctor.

"Meredith, I wouldn't exactly say that we have reached the stage of friendship where lectures are okay." Olivia bent her head, returning to the chart that she was working on.

"You're Derek's friend," Olivia tried not to cringe at the reminder from the younger woman. If Meredith knew of her past with Derek, she was sure that _friendly_ conversation would be the last thing on the woman's mind. "That makes you my friend by association."

"That isn't how any of this works."

"Take it from someone who has been there, you'll regret it later if you don't at least try. She's your mom. Whatever she did, you can find a way to forgive her. I know you can."

"No, I can't forgive her, Meredith. What she did is unforgivable. You don't know what happened between the two of us, so please spare me the lecture." Gathering her chart in her arms, Olivia stomped off down the hallway. It was petty and she knew that, but she was so sick of everyone trying to convince her that her mother deserved a second chance. Entering her office, she tossed the chart on her desk and collapsed in her chair. If any day would drive her to drink, today would be that day. She nearly jumped out of her seat when her phone started ringing, picking the slim device off the desk and holding it to her ear.

"What?" she demanded, choosing to not look at the caller id.

"Rough morning?" Fitz's chuckle came through the phone, instantly calming her nerves and causing a blush to rise on her cheeks.

"Sorry," she apologised, leaning back in her chair.

"We all have rough mornings." She could almost hear the shrug in his voice.

"Not everyone has to deal with their mother every morning."

"Some people would consider that a blessing."

"Those people don't have my mother."

"What kind of surgery is your mom here for?" Sighing, she leaned her head against the back of her chair and closed her eyes, contemplating her answer.

"She has a brain tumour."

"I'm sorry," he sounded genuine, "I was going to ask you to lunch, but if you would rather be with her, I understand."

"I had lunch about an hour ago. It's 1:30, Fitz," the first hint of a smile all day made its way to her face, "Her surgery isn't until tomorrow and I'm not so sure I want to be here for it."

"It's hard to watch a loved one go through something like that - even if you are a surgeon."

"That's not the reason. My mother and I don't have a great relationship. At all. She suggested that I abort my child," she found herself confiding in him.

"That's awful," she closed her eyes at the pity in his voice, "I'm about ten minutes away. I'll pick you up and we can walk around with ice cream. How does that sound?"

"That sounds perfect."

"There's the smiley you that I like. I'll see you in ten."

"Okay."

/

"This is really good," Olivia commented, licking at the rocky road in her ice cream cone.

"I told you I know where all the best places are," Fitz winked, eyeing her hand, "Would it be too forward of me to hold your hand?"

"I think it's just forward enough," she giggled, offering her free hand to his and intertwining her fingers with his. She smiled at the sight - it had been a while since she had walked hand-in-hand down the streets of Seattle with anyone.

"I'm glad you aren't a stickler about calls after the first date."

"I'm glad you called me today instead of waiting." She glanced down the street for a moment, taking her eyes from the man beside her. "How has your day been?"

"I've been stuck in meetings with clients all morning."

"Other than everyone deciding to play therapist between my mother and myself, my morning was quiet."

"It's hard to see someone fighting with their parents. Even if they have a valid reason." Olivia glanced at their hands, his thumb rubbing across her knuckles, "Is it too early to plan a second date?"

"It's never too early," she grinned, instantly groaning when her pager began going off. Reading the page, she frowned. Why was the ER paging her again?

"Come on. Let's get you back to the hospital," he offered, leading her in direction of his car. "I'll call you tonight."

"Okay," she smiled, tossing what little was left of her ice cream in a trashcan before allowing him to help her into the car.

/

"Did they page you again, too?" Mark questioned, entering the ER at the same time as Olivia.

"Yes."

"What the hell, people?"

"What?"

"It's about John Doe. Again."

"What about John Doe?" Olivia sighed, glancing around the large, crowded and bustling ER. She sighed when Owen came rushing forward, disbelief written across his face.

"Hunt, what's going?" Mark demanded as Owen came to a stop before the two doctors, angling his body to block the rest of the ER as he whispered to the two doctors before him.

"John Doe is in a coma. There is no brain activity."

"You called us down here to tell us that you're going to have to pull the plug on a patient?" Mark snorted, shaking his head.

"No," Owen sighed, "I called you down here to tell you that John Doe is O'Malley. I was hoping to have your help telling the other doctors."

"What?" Both Olivia and Mark stated together, shock quickly playing out on their faces as they turned to look at one another.

"Fuck," Mark whispered and Olivia nodded her head. Fuck indeed.


	6. The Harder She Falls

_**A/N -**_ _ **Coralsue3: I'll admit that I called Shonda every name in the book during that episode (and the plane crash one as well) which is why I glossed over it here. If this were more of a Grey's story than Scandal, I would have**_ _ **never**_ _ **kept with canon and George's storyline. Unfortunately, I just didn't have a big storyline planned out for him here. Thank you so much for reading!**_

 _ **This is more of a transitional chapter, so it's a little shorter than the others have been.**_

 _ **The Best Medicine**_

 _ **Chapter Six:**_

 _ **The Harder She Falls**_

The hospital was quiet. Deathly quiet. There had been no laughing, no joking. Not in the days following O'Malley's death. Everyone seemed to be walking on egg shells - afraid to acknowledge that one of their own had passed. The doctors went about their business, but even their patients could tell that what little joy their caretakers had once taken in their jobs, was gone. But, as with everything else, after the funeral, Seattle Grace had found a way to move forward. It was, as George's fellow residents reminded everyone, what George would have wanted.

"Your surgery is today," Olivia stated, entering her mother's room. She crossed her arms, rubbing the bare flesh that had started to form goosebumps in the cool air conditioning of the hospital. The canary yellow sundress added an extra sunniness to the otherwise cool room. The Chief had insisted that she take the day off no matter how she had argued that her mother's surgery wouldn't affect her ability to treat her patients. She had finally relented when she realised that Webber wasn't going to back down.

"I'm sorry about your friend," Maya offered, relaxing against the pillows that were piled behind her back. Olivia turned her cold gaze toward her mother, narrowing her eyes into slits.

"Are you, really?"

"Olivia," Maya sighed, "Can we please not do this?"

Rolling her eyes, Olivia moved toward the window, looking out on the sunny streets. Turning her back to the beautiful view of outside, she leaned against the windowsill. "Are you ready?"

"You haven't been visiting," Maya commented, speaking at the same time as her daughter, "I'm sorry. Yes, I'm ready."

"There was the funeral," she offered weakly as an excuse.

"And you're seeing someone."

"What makes you say that?"

"We may not be as close as we used to be, Livvie, but I can see the change in you."

"I'm not talking about this with you," she stood, adjusting the strap of her purse over her shoulder and heading toward the doorway, "Good luck with your surgery. I'll be in my office."

"Olivia," Maya's tone caused her to stop halfway through the door, tilting her head to listen to what her mother had to say, "Is he good to you? He obviously makes you happy."

"He wouldn't make you happy," Olivia whispered.

"Why wouldn't he make me happy?"

"For the same reason that Jake didn't make you happy."

"I doubt that."

"He's white, mom." Olivia put her hands on her hips, finally turning to face her mother. Fire burned in her eyes as she waited for Maya's response, frowning when Maya's gaze softened.

"I had hoped that after all these years, you would know me better than that, Livvie." It was Maya's turn to turn her face away from her daughter. Olivia opened her mouth, but slammed it shut once more before practically fleeing from the room.

In the waiting room, she turned her mother's words over and over in her head, trying to decipher what they had meant. Her mother hated Jake. She knew that. She had always assumed that it was because he was white. Her mother had led her to believe that it was because he was white. Shaking her head, she slouched in the slightly uncomfortable chair. No. Maya knew there was a chance she could die in surgery and she was trying to get Olivia to forgive her. That was all.

"Coffee?" She turned her head at the familiar voice, smiling at the sight of the one man who had been constantly stuck in her thoughts.

"What are you doing here?" She took the offered cup of coffee, sipping at the steaming liquid.

"I figured you could use a friendly face today," he gave a small smile of his own, seating himself beside her.

"Thank you."

"Has she gone back yet?" Olivia glanced at the clock, twisting the cup in her hands.

"They should be getting ready to put her under now."

"Have you had breakfast?"

"No."

"You said it's a long surgery. Let's go get something to eat. We can go to the cafeteria so you'll be close…" he trailed off, raising a brow at the expression on her face, "What?"

"No one willingly agrees to eat in the cafeteria," she giggled, raising the cup to her lips once more.

"Here I am - offering to do it just for you," he winked.

Laughing, she stood from her seat and offered him her hand, "Let's go eat."

In the cafeteria, the two sat at a table in the corner, bacon and eggs on a plate in front of them. Olivia pushed her food around her plate, nibbling nervously at the food.

"The whole point of getting breakfast was to actually eat," Fitz teased.

"I'm trying," Olivia stuck her tongue out, taking a bite of her eggs and slowly chewing. Swallowing, she took a sip of her coffee before speaking, "So, is this date number two?"

"Do you want this to be date number two?"

"Only if there's another date to follow."

"Breakfast dates aren't good enough?" Fitz chuckled.

"Breakfast dates are perfect," Olivia grinned, "But so is the prospect of more dates."

"Do I need to ask you to go steady so you'll stop second guessing if I want to go on more dates?" Olivia's breath caught in her throat at his question. It had come easy to him, quickly and it made her wonder how long he had thought about asking her that question. And why did it make her heart beat faster and a blush come to her cheeks? It made her feel alive.

"Go steady? What is this: 1955?" The two shared a laugh at her comment.

"You're a classy lady. You deserve to be asked in a classy way," he winked.

Shaking her head, she giggled, "Yes."

"Hm. Now I get to introduce you as my girlfriend. What in the world will I do with that power?"

"Use it wisely."

"Oh, I intend to. Now, finish eating."

/

"You don't have to sit in here with me." Olivia reclined in the chair that sat in the corner of Maya's room, her eyes trained on the still form of her mother. Derek had said the surgery was a success - he had removed a large portion of the tumour and planned to remove the rest the next day. All that was left was to wait for Maya to wake.

"I took the day off so you would have someone here with you."

"And what are you going to do when she wakes up? You don't think it's a little early to meet the parents?"

"You've already met my ex-wife and kids. I don't think we've done meet and greets the traditional way."

"Fair enough," she laughed.

"Do you want to call your siblings?"

"I texted Henry earlier. I don't exactly speak to Laura and Angela. I don't even have Angela's number." Taking a deep breath, she crossed her legs and stared at her mother. Waiting was always the worst part. Not knowing if they would wake or not. The surgery could go exactly as planned, as Derek had said that Maya's surgery had gone, but the patient could still not wake up. It was a risk they took day after day when they used general anaesthesia and Olivia would be lying if she said that a small part of her didn't hope that would be the case for her mother. It certainly would make things easier between the two.

Two hours later, the sound of rustling from the hospital bed woke Olivia. Sitting up, she blushed as she noticed that at some time during her nap, her head had landed on Fitz's chest. Her movement had only caused him to stir for a moment before he turned his body in the oversized chair, tucking a hand under his head. Pushing herself from the chair, Olivia moved toward the hospital bed where Maya was rapidly blinking her eyes.

"How are you feeling?" she questioned, glancing at the monitor above her mother's head.

"Tired." Her voice was groggy, slightly raspy from the breathing tube she had had earlier.

"Derek said the surgery went well. He thinks he can get the rest of the tumour tomorrow."

"That's good." An awkward silence filled the room as the two struggled to find the words to continue their conversation. Finally, Maya's gaze fell on Fitz's sleeping form and she spoke, "He's the one you've been spending so much time with."

"Yep."

"Is he good to you?"

"Mom," Olivia crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at the woman in the bed.

"Olivia, is he good to you?"

"We've only had two dates."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Yes. I haven't felt like this since Jake." Maya's expression darkened at the mention of Jake's name. "Mom, why do you have to be like that every time I mention him?"

"Because he wasn't any good for you, Olivia and I pray like hell that this man _isn't_ like him. You don't deserve that twice."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't worry about it. It's better you hate me than know what I'm talking about."

"I'm going to get a cup of coffee. I'll be back." Olivia blinked rapidly, trying to hold back the tears of anger and frustration as she practically fled from the room. She had to have space.

/

"That's one hell of a way to speak to your daughter about her dead husband." Maya's gaze fell to the chair in the corner of the room where Fitz sat, his wide, blue eyes watching her.

"He's not the saint she's made him to be in her mind."

"Why don't you like him?"

"You obviously care about her, but I don't know you well enough to air my family's dirty laundry."

"Then tell her."

"I can't tell her. It isn't my place to tell her. Here," Maya grabbed her phone from the bedside table, stretching her arms as far as she could toward Fitz, "Have her call her sister and invite her here."

"Which sister?"

"Angela."

"I'll see what I can do."

"If she won't call her, use my phone. Text her."

Tilting his head, Fitz sighed before agreeing to Maya's request. "Where is Olivia?"

"I went for coffee." Olivia entered the room, two cups in her hand and passed one to Fitz. She leaned against the window, sipping the warm liquid in her cup.

"I see you two have met."

"You've found yourself a keeper, Liv."

"Mom…"

"I'm serious. He cares about you."

"Well, since you're obviously doing well, I'm going to get out of here for a while. I need to check in on Bekah."

"Okay."

/

"Your mom wanted me to give you this. She wants you to call Angela and ask her to come to the hospital." Fitz offered Olivia the semi-ancient flip phone as they walked out of the hospital.

"I was wondering when she would ask," Olivia mumbled, taking the phone, "Angela is her favourite. She always has been."

"Are you going to call her?"

"I don't want to, but yes. I am." She stuffed the phone into her purse, tightening her hand around the straps and glancing around herself. It was a beautiful day. Maybe she could take Bekah to the park.

"I have to pick my kids up from school."

"I'm sorry I took most of your day."

"Don't apologise for that," he stopped, turning to look at her, "I enjoyed my day. I'll see you tomorrow."

"You don't have to…"

"I _want_ to and, tomorrow night after your mom's surgery is a success, I will take you on date number three."

"How exciting," she grinned, watching as he took her hands in his, looking at her lips before returning his gaze to her eyes.

"Is it too forward to ask for a kiss?"

"I thought you'd never ask," she joked, wrapping her arms around his neck and sighing when his lips met hers, soft and rough at the same time. Just as quickly as the kiss started, it ended. Both adults stood in front of the hospital with goofy grins covering their faces.

"I will see you tomorrow," Fitz assured her, kissing her forward before walking away. Olivia hummed to herself on the way to her car, unable to prevent her mind from replaying the kiss over and over again.

/

"It's been a week, is this normal?" Fitz questioned, setting a bottle of water in front of Olivia and settling himself on the arm of the chair she was reclining in.

"Normal? No. But her brain activity is normal and so are her vitals. Her body is just taking its time to recuperate." Fitz nodded, sipping the energy drink in his hand and eyeing Maya's still form on the bed. He had almost become accustomed to the sounds of the beeping monitors in the hospital room. He made it a point to visit Olivia. She had rarely left the hospital since Maya had come out of surgery.

"Did you call your sister?"

"Yes. She said she would fly here, but didn't tell me when."

"Have you eaten today?" He was always sure to check. Sometimes, she forgot to eat anything until he reminded her.

"Laci and Bekah brought me food earlier and they're swinging back by in about an hour."

"I'll leave before they get here," he offered. They had already had that conversation before. She wasn't ready to introduce her daughter to him and he understood that. There wasn't a point in dragging someone in and out of her daughter's life before she even knew where the relationship was headed. It was still too early to tell if they both wanted the same thing.

"You can stay."

"Are you sure?"

"We've been together every day this week and have gotten to the point where I'm no longer counting what date we're on. You can meet my daughter, Fitz. If you want."

"Of course I want to meet her, Olivia." The two shared a short-lived smile before the door slid open and a younger looking version of Olivia marched through the door. Olivia tilted her head at the sight of her sister, narrowing her eyes when she noticed the young child clinging to her sister's side.

"Angela," Olivia greeted, her eyes remaining focused on the kid. He couldn't be much older than six or seven.

"Hi, Liv. How's mom?"

"She still hasn't woken, but everything looks great." Angela's gaze followed Olivia's, landing on the boy by her side.

"This is my son, Braxton."

"How old is he?"

"He's seven. He'll be eight next month."

"Is that why you didn't come to my wedding?" Olivia questioned, quickly doing the math in her head, "You were pregnant?"

"Part of the reason." Angela edged toward the bed, placing her hands on the railing of the bed and looking down at her mother. "Is it okay to touch her?"

"Yes," Olivia responded, her eyes still glued to the child. His green eyes returned her stare with confidence. She shook her head, tearing her gaze from the kid and back to her sister. She couldn't help the nagging feeling that the little boy looked a little too much like someone she knew.

"Will she wake up?" Angela had moved her hand to Maya's, grasping the older lady's hand in her own.

"I don't know," Olivia admitted, "But the longer she's asleep, the less likely she will wake up."

Angela nodded, wiping a tear that had started to fall from her eyes, "This makes me wish that I had spoken to her last month when she called. I was so angry at her though."

"Yeah, well she has a way of starting fights," Olivia shrugged, turning her sister's words over in her head. So Angela and Maya had started fighting? That was shocking. Angela had always been their mother's favourite.

"In a way, it was my fault. We haven't spoken in years. Not since I told her I was pregnant."

"You were seventeen. I'm sure it was a shock." Olivia's face fell as she said those words and she quickly stood from her chair, "I'll be right back."

Rushing from the room, she stood in the hallway, her head against the wall. Taking deep breaths, she jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she faced Fitz standing behind her.

"What was that about?" he asked gently.

"My mom _has_ to wake up. She has a lot of explaining to do and…" Olivia swallowed deeply, "I have to apologise to her."

"I'm sorry. I don't quite follow," Fitz looked confused, turning his head in direction of the room he had just left.

"Braxton has green eyes."

"I still don't -"

"He has green eyes and he could be Bekah's twin."

"Liv," Fitz whispered, wrapping his arms around her and allowing her to bury her face in his chest. The two stood like that for minutes. Fitz didn't know what to say and Olivia…Olivia wasn't ready to talk about her fears.

"You don't know anything, Liv."

"I could march in there right now and demand that she tell me everything. Part of me wants to, but I would rather hear it from my mom. She has to get better."

"Momma!" Olivia slowly pulled away from Fitz, rubbing the tears from her eyes and turning around. Kneeling, she opened her arms and allowed Bekah to dive into them. Standing, she held the little girl on her hip.

"Hi, Bekah. Were you good for aunt Laci today?"

"Yes!" Olivia grinned at the little girl's enthusiastic response and looked toward her sister-in-law for confirmation.

"She was great," Laci confirmed, shifting the diaper bag from her shoulder to Olivia's, "I have a date. I'm sorry to drop her and run, but…"

"You have a date?! You didn't tell me, Laci," Olivia fake-glared, "Go. I've got her. Thank you."

"Thanks," Laci smiled, kissing Bekah's cheek before patting Olivia's shoulder and dashing off. Taking a deep breath, Olivia whirled around to face Fitz.

"Bekah," she addressed her daughter, "I want you to meet someone. This is my friend, Fitz."

"Hello," Bekah gave a toothy greeting, holding her little hand in Fitz's direction. His blue eyes crinkled as he shook her tiny hand.

"Hello, Bekah."

"Momma, where is your momma?"

"Your grandma is still in her room. She's still sick. How about we go for a walk? I haven't seen you much this week. We can go get food."

"Pizza?" Olivia rolled her eyes at the request. Her toddler was great at getting on food kicks and when she was on them, that was all she wanted to eat until she burnt herself out. They had been having pizza for dinner for weeks now. Still, Olivia couldn't help but relent. She felt bed for missing out on so much time with her daughter lately. She had the week off, Webber wouldn't let her near an OR while her mother was in the hospital, and yet she saw her daughter less than when she was working.

"Yes, we can get pizza."

"He coming?" Bekah's attention fell on the man standing by her mother.

"If he wants to," Olivia gave Fitz a sheepish smile.

"Of course."


	7. Shakespeare Wrote It First

_**The Best Medicine**_

 _ **Chapter Seven:**_

 _ **Shakespeare Wrote It First**_

"Doctor Pope, I don't recall agreeing that you can return to service today." Olivia sighed, laying her pen on the open chart and turning slowly to look at Richard Webber, a sheepish look gracing her face.

"I can't continue to sit in that room with her and my sister, Richard. It's been two weeks. I _have_ to work. I'm going to go crazy if I don't."

"Make it an easy day and Grey is on your service."

"Which Grey?"

"Meredith."

"I don't need a babysitter, Richard."

"Olivia…" The older man sighed, placing his hands on his hips and eyeing her.

"Both Greys and I get to do the surgery on my Hirschsprung case." She knew how to bargain with her boss and she knew that, using the tone she had, he wasn't going to disagree.

"Fine." She tried not to grin as he walked away, leaving her to the chart before her. She wasn't left alone in her quiet world for long before her shadows for the day arrived, arguing over something. Shaking her head, she spun around to face the two Grey sisters. It was going to be interesting having both ladies on her service considering the fact that Meredith wanted absolutely nothing to do with her younger sister. Olivia kept the smirk on her face to a minimum at that thought - she wanted nothing to do with her younger sister, either.

"Doctors, are you ready for surgery?" Meredith narrowed her eyes in Olivia's direction, crossing her arms and tilting her head.

"Doctor Webber said you weren't allowed in the OR today."

"That was before he agreed to allow me to take the lead on _my_ Hirschsprung case," Olivia shrugged, "Lexie, can you page Doctor Bailey?"

"Bailey's scrubbing in on a peds surgery?" Lexie questioned.

"She asked me for the consult and Hirschsprung isn't something you see a lot. I told her she could scrub in with me."

"Do you want me to take care of your other patients?"

"They're already taken care of. You're scrubbing in with me, too, Meredith." The younger woman nodded, looking relived. Olivia understood that feeling. Even if she hadn't gone through the extremely competitive residency program, after going two weeks without surgery, it felt like she was losing a part of herself. She _had_ to get back in that operating room.

The three doctors headed toward the OR in silence. Olivia tried to push away the thoughts of her mother and the potential health problems they were now facing - two weeks was a long time to not have waken. It didn't help that everywhere she turned in the hospital, she was running into Angela and Braxton. Her sister had tried speaking to her over the week, but she had used every excuse she could to avoid the younger girl. Angela didn't know that Olivia knew and she wasn't sure which was worse. Part of her wanted to tell her sister that she knew; wanted to get the yelling and throwing things out of the way. Instead, she kept her mouth closed and waited for her mother to wake.

/

"Olivia." She tried not to show the discomfort she felt at the pity in Derek's voice as she sat at the table in the cafeteria beside her fellow doctors.

"Bailey was kickass in the OR with the Hirschsprung kid." Sometimes the best defence was offence and that's exactly what she did. It was better to deflect the attention to Miranda than listen to any apology Derek felt like giving. He had been nothing but apologetic since the surgery.

"Go Bailey," Callie cheered.

"Where is she?" Arizona questioned.

"Bailey never eats in here," Olivia shrugged.

"I'm not even sure she does eat," Derek laughed.

"Derek, can I talk to you about your trial?" Richard walked up to the table, pulling the handsome doctor away, but not before he had a chance to speak to Olivia:

"Liv, can you meet me in your mom's room at six? I need to talk to you about -"

"Sure, Derek," she cut him off, not needing to hear what he had to say. It had been two weeks - of course he would start talking alternatives. Suddenly, lunch wasn't all that appealing anymore. Making her excuses, she stood from the table and tossed her nearly untouched salad into the trash. It was a short trek to her mother's room and she made sure her sister was nowhere in sight when she entered.

"Hi." She nearly jumped out of her skin at the groggy voice, turning her attention to the bed and a wide-eyed Maya.

"When did you -"

"About an hour ago."

"And no one has been in here?"

"No." Olivia frowned, moving toward the monitors and checking her mother's sats before pulling her stethoscope from her pocket and listening to Maya's heart and lungs.

"Everything seems okay, but I'm going to page Derek to double check." She stepped out of the room for a few minutes, returning only after she had made sure the nurses had paged Derek. After giving Maya a sip of water, she leaned against the wall and began speaking:

"Why didn't you tell me about Braxton?"

"Would it have changed your mind about Jake?"

"Of course it would have. Why didn't you tell me?"

"It would have changed your relationship with your sister."

"And you think that hasn't already happened?"

"It was a bad decision. I'm sorry, Olivia. Angela thought she was in love with him and he swore he loved her. But he wouldn't leave you. I knew that and he knew that, but your sister didn't. When she found out she was pregnant, he told her he didn't want the baby. I have spent the past seven years helping your sister raise a child from a man I loathe because that child is my grandchild -"

"If you could put aside those differences for Braxton, then why did you say what you did about Bekah?" Olivia tilted her head, curiosity on her face.

"I thought he would abandon you like he did your sister. I didn't want you to go through that, Olivia. You have a huge heart and you were so close to realising your dreams. If he had left you, you would have never finished your residency." Taking a deep breath, Olivia nodded. Maya hadn't made the best choices and she sure didn't have the most sound reasoning for her choices, but who was to say that _anyone_ could have chosen better in that situation? It was a little surreal as was.

"When did it start?" She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to that question, but if she never asked, then it would always be in the back of her mind, nagging.

"The year after the two of you met. I didn't find out until she told me she was pregnant." Fire burned in Olivia's eyes at her mother's admission and she tried to quell the string of curse words flying around her head that were directed at her former husband. For the first time since the incident, she thought, Jake was better off dead.

"She would have been fifteen."

"I wanted to press charges, believe me. Maybe I should have."

"Don't." Olivia shook her head at the self-deprecating tone of her mother's voice. Maya felt bad about what had happened and how it had been handled. That much was evident.

"Olivia, you paged?" Olivia's gaze snapped toward the door as Derek entered, his head buried in a chart.

"She's awake."

/

"Hi," Fitz greeted, giving Olivia a chaste kiss and passing a warm cup of coffee into her hands. She accepted the cup, taking a deep sip and sighing.

"Hi." She linked her arm with his, leading him toward her mother's room.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier when you called." He spared a glance at her, patting the hand that rested on his arm.

"It's okay. She woke up. Nothing catastrophic happened."

"I would have been here if I could," he offered, allowing her to lead him into her mother's room where a team of doctors were currently standing around the bed. He recognised the redhead standing by the tall, "obviously good with the ladies" brunet doctor. The redhead, Lexie, was on Olivia's service more often than not - his girlfriend had taken a liking to the young girl.

"Doctor Pope," the brunet greeted, turning with a show-stopping smile that was focused on Olivia.

"Doctor Shepherd," Olivia grinned, "this is Fitz."

The two men shook hands and Fitz tried to recollect where he had heard Doctor Shepherd's name before. He barely heard what was being said about Olivia's mother. He didn't feel too bad - he probably wouldn't have understood it anyway. Doctor Shepherd was speaking to Olivia which meant that he more than likely wasn't using the kid terms.

"How do you like neuro, Lexie?" Olivia asked once Doctor Shepherd had exited the room. The redhead seemed to take a moment to think as she unwound the bandages around Maya's head.

"It's interesting, but it's Meredith's thing. Besides, I really like peds."

"We like having you on peds. You're good with the kids. It's a good thing you and Karev won't have to compete for the residency program." Lexie nodded, tilting her head in concentration as she wrote in Maya's chart.

"I'll leave you guys alone." Olivia noted absently, waving the girl away before turning her attention to her mother.

"No neurological damage. That's a good sign."

"Is that what the good-looking one was saying?" Maya chuckled. Olivia shook her head at her mother, patting the older woman's hand.

"Where's Angela?"

"I sent her to the hotel. I didn't think Braxton should be around for all this doctor mumbo jumbo." Olivia nodded, reaching for Maya's chart and scanning the first page. She would rather not have to confront her sister anyway. There were some wounds she wasn't ready to open.

"Derek said he'll discharge you soon if all goes well."

"Good. I'm sure you're just waiting for me to go back to Maine." One look at Maya's face was enough to tell Olivia that her mother was merely teasing.

"Hilarious," Olivia rolled her eyes. "You can stay with me while you recover, mom."

"We'll see how long that lasts," Maya winked in Fitz's direction, laughing at the look of amusement that covered his face.

"Well, we will live you to get some rest."

"Is that a joke? I've been asleep for ages," Maya whined, a grin spreading across her lips.

"Mom."

"Go. I'm sure you two have a hot date to get to." Olivia snorted, whispering in Fitz's ear and watching as he said goodbye to Maya before walking out of the room. She edged closer to her mother's side once he was gone, filling a cup with water and handing it to Maya.

"We're having dinner together. He's introducing me to his kids as his girlfriend."

Maya grasped the plastic cup in one hand, chasing the straw around for a bit before pinching it between two fingers and holding it to her lips, taking a long, cool drawl of water. After swallowing, she responded: "His kids will love you, Libby. Has Bekah met him?"

"Yeah. She adores him."

"I think you finally found the right guy, Liv. Don't keep him waiting out there too long," Maya winked.

"Good night, mom," Olivia giggled, handing Maya the remote for the television and giving her a quick peck on the forehead before flouncing out of the room.

/

"I'm sorry I didn't have anything fancier in my locker," Olivia bemoaned, pulling at a thread on her black skinny jeans.

"You look beautiful." Fitz grasped her hand, raising her knuckles to his lips and brushing a kiss across them. Olivia sighed, glancing down at her burgundy button-down and jeans to the nude heels on her feet. Fitz's invitation to dinner had been out of the blue earlier that morning and she had planned to dash home for a more appropriate outfit before arriving at his house. Maya's unexpected recovery had put a wrench in those plans, though.

"I'm nervous," she confided, running a hand through her hair. Suddenly, she was self-conscious about how long it had been since she had had a decent shower or had the chance to wash her hair. Indiscreetly, she sniffed her shirt - relieved that her perfume seemed to have lasted the test of the day.

"They'll love you. Teddy already does." Wrapping her arms around her body, Olivia glanced around the darkened sky, rubbing her arms to ward off the chill. They had been standing outside since first pulling up to Fitz's house - Olivia had been too wary of entering at first.

"Let's get this over with," Fitz chuckled, grasping her hand in his and punching his code into his lock and swinging his door open. He stood to the side as he allowed her to enter the home first, following behind and shutting the door. Taking his and Olivia's jacket, he hung them on the coatrack by the door.

"Right this way." Fitz led her into his kitchen. Olivia stopped by the large, white island with the black granite countertop. His kitchen was a little more homely than hers. Large, spacious, and well-decorated, but obviously lived in. She was hardly home and when she was home, she never cooked. Fitz was the complete opposite from the looks of it.

"Where are your kids?" Olivia wondered, glancing behind her as if they might suddenly reappeared.

"Karen's probably in her room reading and if I had to guess, Jerry is playing a video game that Teddy shouldn't be watching, but is anyway."

"He likes to follow his brother? That's sweet."

"When he's not getting into things he shouldn't," Fitz shrugged. "I'll call them when dinner's ready."

"Do you need help? I can't cook, but I'm pretty good at reading labels," Olivia joked.

"I think I can manage," Fitz smirked, pulling the dark, wooden bistro stool from the bar and gesturing for Olivia to take a seat. "You sit there and enjoy your wine."

Before Olivia could ask questions, Fitz had pulled a bottle of wine from the refrigerator and worked on uncorking the bottle of Pinot Noir. Pouring a glass, he handed it to Olivia before he returned to the task at hand - pulling pans and ingredients out of various cabinets and placing them on the island.

"Did you know the chose the name because they thought the grapes looked like black pinecones?" Olivia nodded toward the bottle sitting on the island as Fitz opened a bottle of seasoning, sprinkling some on the steak he had placed in a glass baking pan.

"Aren't you full of unusual information?" Fitz chuckled, moving around as he placed the pan in the oven and began working on the side dishes.

"I _really_ like wine," Olivia confided, mock toasting the air before sipping on the dark liquid.

"You did bring her!" Olivia twisted in her seat at the high-pitched squeal. The brunette girl was roughly the same height as Olivia and from what she could recall of Fitz's ex-wife, looked quite a bit like her mother. She wore a pair of ripped, denim shorts, black Chuck Taylor's, and a black shirt with an umbrella that Olivia instantly recognised as a Bring Me the Horizon shirt. So, Fitz's daughter was a bit of a rebel. Olivia instantly liked her.

"Hi," Olivia greeted, catching a glimpse of the book in the girl's arms. _Whiskey, Words, and a Shovel._ It sounded _different_.

"I'm Karen." The girl was enthusiastic as she rushed forward, throwing her arms around Olivia and squeezing. "I'm not sure if you remember me from the hospital."

"I remember," Olivia chuckled. "It's nice to really get the chance to meet you, though."

"Speaking of nice: do you know how great it's been to see my dad so happy? Yesterday, he was actually singing - _singing!_ \- when he did laundry."

"Okay, okay," Olivia tried not to laugh at the redness in Fitz's cheeks, "Go grab your brothers."

"You sing, huh?" Olivia smirked as Karen dashed out of the kitchen. Fitz mumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like annoyance at his daughter's decision to dish on his private life. Giggling, Olivia pushed further: "Does this mean we're going on a karaoke date night in the future?"

"Not a chance in hell." Olivia laughed, standing from her seat and rounding the island to put her arms around Fitz, standing on the tips of her toes and pecking his lips. It was fun to tease him - something she so rarely got the chance to do.

"Doctor Pope!" Teddy ran into the room, seemingly indifferent to the fact that the two adults had suddenly jumped about a foot apart, and skidded to a halt in front of Olivia. He tugged at the bottom of his Paw Patrol shirt, yanking the fabric over his head and shouting: "Dad says to stop showing everyone my scar, but I think it's cool!"

Olivia glanced at the small, pink-fading scar on the boy's abdomen. It was barely noticeable - she _was_ good at leaving minimal scarring when it came to that procedure. Still, Teddy was proud of the scar and that made her grin.

"That's one gnarly scar."

"Gnarly?" Jerry snorted, drawing Olivia's attention to Fitz's near carbon copy. His smile reached his blue eyes, causing them to sparkle just as his dad's did when Fitz was amused. He inched forward, holding his hand toward Olivia, "I'm Jerry. Am I expected to call you Doctor Pope, too?"

She grasped his hand, shaking quickly and chuckling at his question, "Olivia is fine."

/

"I had fun tonight," Olivia commented, standing outside her door. Fitz smiled, reaching down to grasp her hands in his before leaning forward and placing his lips on hers.

"I had fun, too." Olivia grinned, swinging her hands with Fitz's.

"The kids liked you."

"I liked them."

"We should do this again soon. You could bring Bekah next time." She nodded - it was time for Bekah to meet Fitz's kids.

"She talks about you a lot. She keeps asking when we're going to see you again." Olivia glanced at the second floor of her home - toward Bekah's bedroom window. The light was out. Laci had probably already put her to bed.

"I'll plan something for all of us," he promised, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes. "Good night, Olivia."

"Good night, Fitz." She stood on the tips of her toes, slowly kissing him before twirling on her feet and entering her home. Fitz put his hands in his pockets, whistling down the sidewalk to his car.


	8. Tread Softly On My Dreams

_**The Best Medicine**_

 _ **Chapter Eight:**_

 _ **Tread Softly on my Dreams**_

"I think that's the last of it." Fitz sat the heavy box he had lugged up the stairs on the floor, looking around the now crowded spare bedroom. Olivia poked her head around a tall stack of boxes, frowning at the state of the room.

"Thank you for helping me."

"I wouldn't expect you to do it alone," he winked, wading a path through the wreckage to where she stood, "I'll get started on taking the bed apart."

"We probably should have done that before moving everything up here," she sighed, fiddling with the flap of one of the cardboard boxes, "I don't even know why I had you carry this stuff up here. I'm getting rid of most of it."

"I'll just have to spend another day helping you get rid of it when you're ready," he smirked, placing a hand on her hip and leaning forward for a chaste kiss before pulling away, making his path through the stacks toward the large bed.

Olivia brought a hand to her lips, grinning at the tingling feel his lips had left behind. She knew she should be sorting through things - organising what she wished to donate, keep, or throw away, but the sight of Fitz kneeling by the bed, his muscles rippling as he worked on taking the wooden headboard apart, was too good to pass. His Mariners jersey hugged his biceps in all the right spots. She averted her gaze quickly when he turned his head. A bemused smile crossed his face as he raised his arms above his head, stretching.

"Pictures last longer," he joked, using the bed to support himself as he stood.

"I…um…," she blushed, twisting around to bury herself in one of the boxes.

"Olivia," he chuckled, coming up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her cheek, "I didn't know my girlfriend was such a peeping Jane."

"Is that really what it is when you're _in_ my house?" she giggled, tilting her head to the side.

"What else would you call it?" he asked, placing another kiss on her cheek before releasing her. "I'm going to carry the headboard downstairs."

"Do you need help?"

"I've got it."

Later, after he had successfully moved the entire bed to the guest room downstairs and reassembled it, the couple sat at the island in the kitchen sharing a meal of cold-cut sandwiches.

"I don't know if you noticed or not, but there's a new bowling alley on third street," he casually mentioned, shuddering and scrunching his face as she dipped a pickle in ranch.

"I heard something about it," she replied, sticking her tongue out in his direction before biting into the concoction that he had deemed 'toxic' when she had forced him to try it several dates ago.

"It's pretty kid friendly."

"You want to take the kids there?" she raised a brow, looking at him as if he had just grown another head.

"All of our kids…or just you, me, and Bekah if you aren't ready for her to meet mine."

"I think it'll be alright for her to meet your kids - they don't act too much like you," she winked, giggling at the look he threw her way.

"Friday night work for you?"

She nodded - it was her weekend off. She bit her lip, trying to form the words for her next statement. He had asked her on plenty of dates, but _she_ had never asked him:

"I have plans for us Saturday. It's a surprise." Karen had given her the heads-up that his birthday was that weekend and had even helped her plan the perfect birthday surprise for him. She didn't talk much with Jerry - he was a busy, teenage boy who didn't have time for his family let alone his father's girlfriend. She and Karen spoke almost daily, though.

"I'm looking forward to it."

/

"Good morning, sunshine," Maiya barrelled past Olivia, grinning and calling over her shoulder.

"Good morning to you, too?" Olivia sipped at her coffee, mildly surprised when Maiya called over her shoulder:

"I'd stay and chat, but we're getting ready to do a transplant."

Olivia nodded, waving the blonde off and stopping at the nurse's station. Setting her coffee on the wooden counter, she grabbed a tablet, turning the slim device on and quickly logging in. Frowning to herself, she scrolled through the charts on her screen. She had a couple post-ops, but nothing else. It would be a boring day if she didn't find something.

"Doctor Pope!"

She turned at the sound of her name, watching as Cristina Yang shooed interns and nurses out of her way. Leaning against the counter, she waited for the brunette to come to a halt beside her, her face flushed and her eyes shining. Her hair was falling out of her ponytail and she looked like she had just ran the length of the hospital.

"Doctor Yang, can I help you?"

"I have a fourteen year old patient in the clinic. She came in with a fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, fatigue, and confusion. Doctor Percy is trying to release her and treat for a stomach bug."

"And? It sounds like Doctor Percy is doing the right thing - although he should treat for dehydration as well." Olivia turned her back to the young doctor, gently shaking her head. She tried to avoid the drama between the residents - she knew they didn't all get along and most of that could be blamed on the Mercy West merger.

"She just got over chickenpox."

"Okay?" Olivia turned around, facing the woman once more.

"And her mother was giving her aspirin for her fever."

Olivia's mouth opened in understanding, quickly grabbing her tablet from the counter and tucking it beneath her arm. Turning on her heel, she began walking down the hall toward the elevator - gesturing for Cristina to follow her.

"You think she has Reye's Syndrome." Olivia jabbed her finger into the elevator button, tapping her heel as she waited impatiently for the elevator to arrive.

"We'll have to run tests to confirm, but her symptoms add up."

"Do you know how rare this is?" Olivia questioned, stepping into the elevator and waiting for Cristina to do the same before pressing the button for the ground floor. As the elevator slowly came to a halt on the ground floor, Cristina's pager began going off. Ripping the pager from its place on her hip, she read the message flashing across it before turning to Olivia.

"It's a 911 from the clinic."

The two doctors took off at a run toward the clinic, slinging the hospital doors open and running the short distance from the main hospital to the clinic. Inside the clinic, they found a teen girl thrashing on one of the beds, her eyes rolled behind her head and a gaggle of interns and residents standing around the bed.

Shoving past the gaggle of doctors, Olivia laid eyes on an intern: "Get her mother out of here and, you, pull the privacy curtain."

She waited for the doctors to follow her orders, crossing her arms and observing the girl on the bed - at least they had raised the railing so she couldn't roll off the bed. With all the bystanders gone, Olivia turned to Charles Percy: "What have you given her?"

"N-nothing. Cristina wouldn't - " he stumbled through his response, seeming to shrink beneath Olivia's intense gaze.

"Don't try to blame Doctor Yang - she looked at this case from every angle and may have just saved this girl's life," Olivia shook her head at the young doctor. She had heard plenty of horror stories about the kid since he had been transferred. His first day at Seattle Grace he had stolen cases from Izzy Stevens and made snide remarks about her working so soon after going through cancer treatments. Olivia didn't mind bringing the kid down a peg or two. Turning to Cristina she ordered:

"Doctor Yang, when her seizure subsides, please take her to get an MRI and page Doctor Shepherd." The younger doctor nodded as Olivia continued: " _If_ she needs surgery, have Doctor Shepherd page me. Or you can page me. Doctor Percy, this is Yang's case now. You can come to the ER with me and practice your sutures."

She tried not to smirk too much at the bemused look on Cristina's face. She'd be lying if she said that she didn't have a special place for the original Seattle Grace interns over the new arrivals. Part of it was her bias for their teaching program - the original interns had been learning from some of the best from day one and it showed. Shooing Percy out of the room, Olivia guided the doctor in the direction of the emergency room.

/

"It seemed so straightforward," Cristina sighed, slumping against the hard, unforgiving wall and pulling her scrub cap from her head.

"Nothing's ever straightforward," Olivia observed, yanking her own scrub cap from her head and stuffing it in her pocket. Rolling her shoulders, groaning at the popping that followed, she brought a hand to her left shoulder, rubbing the tough knot there. They had spent nearly six hours in what was supposed to be a simple neuro surgery. Dropping her arm, she tilted her head at the sight of the young resident still slumped against the wall.

"We did everything we could, Cristina."

"We could have done more. _I_ could have done more." With that, the brunette shoved herself from the wall and stalked off down the hall. Shaking her head, Olivia began the not short enough trek down the hallway toward the waiting area. This was the worst part of her job - explaining to a parent that they had lost their child. She whipped her head to the side, pausing at the heavy metallic doors, when someone placed their hand on her shoulder. Derek stood beside her, a crease along his forehead and his mouth turned downward in a harsh frown.

"I'll go out there with you," he offered, removing his hand from her shoulder and stuffing it in the pocket of his lab coat.

"You don't have -"

"She was my patient too, Liv. _I'm_ the one who lost her - not you."

Olivia sighed, patting Derek's back before pushing the door open. The two doctors slowly made their way to the woman sitting in the stuffed, blue-leather chair in the middle of the small waiting room. They hung their heads as they inched further, observing the woman's casual conversation with the man seated beside her.

"Mrs. Morrison," Olivia cleared her throat. Years of delivering this sort of news still hadn't prepared her for the look of unbridled optimism she almost always received prior to the bad news. Even worse would be the heartbroken look of betrayal that would follow moments later - this woman had trusted her daughter to Olivia and she had let her down.

"Doctor Pope! How is -"

"Mrs. Morrison, I'm Doctor Shepherd. I was the neurosurgeon who worked on your daughter," Derek interjected, shouldering his way in-between the two women. Olivia sighed - she knew what Derek was doing. He blamed himself for what happened and he was trying to protect her from seeing the mother's reaction. Typical Derek.

"How is she?" Finally, a look of worry had crossed her face.

"Mrs. Morrison, I am so sorry…"

/

"Bad day?" Fitz wondered, walking around the vehicle to open the passenger door for Olivia. She absently slid into the leather seat, settling her purse in the floor and buckling her seatbelt whilst Fitz shut her door and reentered the vehicle on his side.

"We lost a patient today."

"I'm sorry, Liv." He reached across the console to grab her hand as he slowly eased onto the road, quickly putting the bright lights of the hospital behind them.

"I know it happens. I've seen it happen plenty of times, but I'm still never prepared for a child to die."

"I'm sorry, babe."

She had to smile at that. It was the first time he had called her anything other than some variation of her name. Taking a deep breath, she untangled her hand from his and reached for her purse, digging around the large leather bag for her ChapStick.

"Is Doctor Pope okay?"

Olivia whirled her head to the back at the little voice voicing his concern, a smile covering her face. Teddy sat in the middle row of seats in the SUV, buckled securely in a blue and black carseat. Karen and Jerry sat in the back, both focused a little too intently on their phones.

"You didn't tell me you had already picked up the kids."

"All but one."

"And I'm offering to play babysitter tomorrow night," Karen yelled from the back causing both Olivia and Fitz to laugh.

"Laci wouldn't give Bekah up?"

"I thought it would be better if we both picked her up."

Olivia nodded - he had a point. Bekah probably would feel intimated with all the other kids, anyway. Pulling into her driveway, he put the vehicle in park and slid out of the vehicle with Olivia. She dug around in her purse, producing her car keys and passing them to him.

"Her carseat's in the back."

He nodded, taking the proffered keys and moving toward her parked car while she entered her house. By the time she remerged with Bekah on her hip, he had uninstalled and reinstalled the black-purple carseat in his vehicle beside Teddy. Holding the door open for the two, he watched as she placed Bekah in the carseat and quickly fastened her in before placing a soft kiss on her daughter's curls.

"I'm Teddy."

Olivia smiled at the little boy's introduction to her daughter once they were all back in the vehicle and on their way to the bowling alley. She waited with baited breath for Bekah's response - her daughter was shy. She had tried to work on that with the child and had been making some progress before Jake's death and Bekah's subsequent drawing back into herself. It was an uphill battle.

"I'm Rebekah but my mommy calls me Bekah." And from there, the conversation between the two little ones took off. Both Olivia and Fitz exchanged a pleased glance as the chattering in the backseat continued.

"Have you decided what you're doing tomorrow?" Karen asked, sliding onto the seat beside Olivia, watching as her dad showed Bekah how to roll a ball. The little girl was grinning as she slowly eased the ball onto the bowling lane, clapping as it tumbled toward the pins. Bumpers were up on that lane - nobody wanted to listen to Teddy and Bekah's cries when they threw gutter balls.

"Dinner," Olivia responded.

"And?" Karen probed, her eyes shining with curiosity and her tone holding a hint of suggestion.

"You are too young to even be suggesting what you are," Olivia playfully scolded, laughing at the fifteen year old's face.

"I'm not that young," she giggled, "And maybe I was testing you."

"Testing me, huh?"

"I like you. I was trying to see how serious you are with my dad."

"Serious enough that you don't have to worry about me going anywhere anytime soon," Olivia shrugged, standing from her seat and heading toward the bowling lane, grabbing a ball along the way. Fitz stood to the side, leaning in to grab a quick kiss before allowing Olivia to have her turn at the lane.

"I feel like you are way better at this than you let on earlier this week," Fitz complained, laughing when Olivia turned around to stick her tongue out at him. It was her second strike of the night - after she had spent the previous day telling him that she wasn't the greatest at bowling.

"I said I was never the best bowler in my family. We went bowling every Friday night."

"You set me up for failure," he accused, his eyes twinkling. Olivia smiled at that - his daughter had the exact same mischievous twinkle to her eyes when she was joking or planning something.

"You still love me," Olivia blurted, freezing with her arms in the air, in the process of wrapping them around his neck. She hadn't meant for the "L" word to slip out of her mouth and she could feel her cheeks burning with mortification. They hadn't even said that to one another yet. She half-expected him to turn tail and run for the hills after that slip of tongue. Instead, he inched closer, wrapping his arms around her waist and placing his lips on hers, whispering:

"I do love you."

Finally, her arms began listening to her brain once more and she was able to wrap them around his neck, turning her eyes to his. Her heart beat a bit faster and her cheeks no longer felt like they were on fire. A giddy feeling of exuberance came across her and a smile, one that she couldn't wipe off her face no matter how hard she tried, quickly spread across her lips.

"That could have ended much worse than it did," she observed, pecking his lips, "I love you."

With one last, quick kiss the couple released one another, their smiles still planted across their faces. Their family night continued with many laughs and a healthy amount of teasing. By the end of the night, when they were all piled into the SUV, they had finally convinced the two youngest kids that they had won by way of a tie. Breakdown avoided, Teddy and Bekah were lulled to sleep on the way home.

"Do you want me to drop you off at your house? You and Bekah can stay the night - I have an extra guest room."

She grinned at that. Fitz was ever the gentleman - offering her a place to stay and making it known that he didn't expect anything out of the deal. Still…as much as she wanted to say yes, she needed to go home. She still had preparations to make for _their_ date night, but if everything went well, she _would_ be spending the night with him tomorrow.

"I have some things I have to do at home or I would."

/

"You're all smiles," Laci giggled, leaning against the doorframe that led to the yellow and red room. Olivia finished tucking the little girl in, pulling the fuzzy black and white comforter over her chest and kissing her forehead before turning the light light on and tiptoeing out of the room. Laci waited until they had entered the kitchen and each poured a glass of wine before probing:

"So?"

"Bekah loved his kids and they seemed to like her," Olivia grinned, sipping the tart liquid in her glass.

"And? That can't be the only thing that put that goofy smile on your face."

"We said 'I love you'." Olivia's grin grew wider and she tried to hide it behind her wine glass to no avail.

"Finally," Laci huffed, rounding the kitchen island to throw her arms around Olivia's shoulders.

"Finally?"

"I've known since you first introduced Bekah to him, Liv."

Olivia nodded, the excitement from the night finally wearing off and leaving her feeling exhausted. Laci had a point - she wouldn't have introduced Fitz to Bekah if she didn't love him, didn't think their relationship was serious. She had vowed that if she ever did start dating again, she wouldn't be the kind of mother to drag men in and out of her daughter's life.

"I haven't felt like this about anyone since…" Olivia's voice trailed. She still hadn't told Laci about Jake and Angela. Hadn't even mentioned Braxton. She didn't want to talk about it - didn't want to potentially ruin her relationship with Laci. The two had become more than just sister-in-laws in the years following Jake's death - Laci was her best friend. She didn't want to lose her.

"Since Jake. It's okay, Liv. You can say that and I'm not going to judge you for it. Sure he was my brother, but you're my sister. And you deserve to move on with your life. Be happy."

"Thanks, Laci."

/

"Was it okay?" Olivia wondered, wrapping her arm around Fitz's as the two walked around the Bay. Fitz stopped walking for a moment, twisting his shoulders to lean down and kiss her.

"Dinner was perfect," he stated, pulling back and resuming their leisurely pace. A smile covered her face as she clung tighter to him, moving even closer. She had hoped he would enjoy his birthday dinner.

"Karen helped me plan," she admitted, tucking her head into the crook of his shoulder.

"She likes you a lot. You know that?"

"I like her, too. She's a good kid. All of your kids are."

"Teddy keeps asking when he's going to see you again."

"Bekah keeps asking the same thing about you."

"Those two got along well. Teddy said she's his new best friend."

Olivia laughed, "Bekah asked if they can have a play date."

Suddenly, Fitz stopped their trek around the Bay once more. Untangling Olivia's arm from his, he moved in front of her, wrapping his arms around her waist and bending his head to hers. Capturing her lips in a deep kiss, he groaned as she moved her hands to his hair, pulling on the curly strands. Olivia tilted her head back, opening her mouth to his. Pulling away, he rested his forehead against hers, his breaths coming in short, uneven puffs.

"Sorry."

"You have _no_ reason to apologise for that," Olivia grinned, resting her arms on his shoulders.

"I'll let you in on a secret. I haven't been serious with anyone since my ex. I didn't think I would ever meet a girl who would convince me to even try a relationship again."

"I didn't think I would meet anyone, either," Olivia admitted, "But I'm glad I met you."

/

"Please tell me Laci and Bekah aren't here," Fitz smirked, running his tongue over her clavicle.

"Laci took her to see her nana," Olivia moaned, arcing her back against the hard, wooden door of her bedroom. It was the first surface he found to shove her against after entering a more _private_ part of her home. Her hands were in his hair, pulling at his thick locks, as she brought a leg up to wrap around his thigh. Moaning, she spread her legs just wide enough for him to settle into the heat radiating from under her bunched up dress.

"You had this planned," Fitz pulled back just long enough to wink before crashing his lips to hers, his hand moving from her hip to the strap of her dress. Pulling at the thin, scrappy material, he wasn't getting anywhere until Olivia leaned forward, moving his hand to the zipper at the base of her neck. He moved his talented lips to her neck as he pulled at the small, metal piece. The sound of the zipper being pulled down was all that filled the room until he hit the beginning curves of her butt - where the zipper refused to go any further having hit the end of its downward track.

"Happy birthday," Olivia giggled, allowing him to pull the top half of her dress down as he pulled his head back, observing his own actions. She helped by pulling her arms out of the straps, chuckling at his surprised expression once he realised she hadn't been wearing a bra. Shoving her dress to her waist, bunching the top portion with the bottom, he moved his lips to hers.

"Have you always gone to dinner with me braless?" he questioned, moving his lips down her neck and to the swell of her breasts. She tossed her head back, grimacing as it collided with the wooden door, and dug her nails into his shoulders at the feel of him trailing his lips down her sternum. She moaned in disappointment when he pulled away from her, helping her shove her dress from her body before leading her to her bed.

"I think the door was getting a little dangerous," he chuckled, unbuttoning his shirt before tossing it to the floor. She gasped at the feel of his cold belt buckle against her stomach, raising her arms above her head to grip the headboard. He returned his attention to her breasts, making her cry out softly, as he covered her nipple with his mouth, swirling his tongue around the sensitive tip. Removing his mouth with a loud _pop_ , he journeyed further down her body, tossing her legs over his shoulders and giving himself just enough space to settle between them.

Giving her a mischievous grin, he reached forward, using his fingers to gently spread her labia, keeping his eyes on hers while he lowered his head, his tongue darting forward to stroke the bundle of nerves he had exposed. A ragged moan escaped her lips and she pulled at the hand that was gripping her hip, intertwining her fingers with his when he finally let go. She groaned when he nipped the tender bud with his teeth, grinning against her flesh. Over and over again, he brought her to a near release before pulling back to kiss the tender flesh of her inner thighs - only long enough for her to beg him to continue. Finally, when she could take no more, she moved her hands to his hair, holding him in place while he finally let her ride out her orgasm.

With a grin on his face, he stood from the bed. Bending over her, he kissed her slowly before pulling back and undoing his pants - quickly kicking the black nuisances from his body. She tried not to laugh at how prepared he was - he held a foil package in his hand as he returned to the bed. Taking square package from his hands, she ripped it open and pulled the rubber from inside. He inhaled sharply when she took his exposed erection into her hands, tugging at the hardened flesh for a moment before rolling the condom over his length.

Shaking his head, he gently pushed her back onto the mattress and nestled his hips between hers. She gasped at the feel of his erection against her dripping centre, spreading her legs further as he positioned himself. He captured her lips as he slowly pushed forward, his groan swallowed between them at the feel of her wet heat enveloping him.

Closing his eyes, he pulled away from her lips to bury his head in her neck as he began pumping into her. For a brief moment, she almost chuckled at the thought of the hickeys he was leaving - and the amount of teasing she was going to have to put up with at work on Monday. That thought quickly flew out of the window though when he nipped at the base of her throat - a sensitive spot even _she_ didn't know she had, and she felt her whole world shatter around him.

"Livvie," he moaned, moving his head from her neck and capturing her lips in a heated kiss as his movements stilled.

Later, after a shower, the two laid in the large, king sized bed. The grey comforter was tossed somewhere on the floor - not that they needed it. Their bodies were still working on cooling down from their previous activities. Olivia's head rested on his bare chest - they didn't see the point in putting pyjamas on after what they had just done.

"Olivia Carolyn Pope," Fitz whispered, just as her eyes were beginning to slide shut, "I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

She allowed her eyes to flutter shut at his words, a wide grin covering her face.


End file.
